A Changing of the Future
by Marie1964
Summary: In this sequel to "The Secret Organization of The Angels," Hogan, along with Newkirk's and Carter's help, learns to accept his new life. Unfortunately, new antagonists are waiting for him...
1. Chapter 1

AN: This author thanks ColHogan for the invaluable feedback and proofreading for this story, as well as the ending of my first one.

Chapter One: A New Day Dawns

It had been six days since Colonel Hogan, Newkirk, and Carter had managed to escape from the prison that Sergeant Faust, a Gestapo agent, had been keeping them in. It had been even longer since Hogan had learned the strange truth about his two men—that Newkirk and Carter were not men, but were in fact vampires, and had been since 1775 and 1933, respectively. Even though they had managed to hide that secret from him for the entire time that they had been prisoners in Stalag 13, they knew that they had to tell him because of a Gestapo agent, Colonel Magerlein, who doubled as a vampire Hunter. Sometimes Hogan still had dreams about everything that had managed to happen in roughly a month's time—how Carter and Newkirk had attacked Magerlein at his house and drunk his blood; how Hogan learned, from a couple of papers that he had stolen from Magerlein's desk, about the Angel Organization that they belonged to, which was made up of vampire sabotage and/or espionage agents; and finally, how the vampiric Faust had kidnapped them, hoping to learn more about Papa Bear and the Angels.

Having just come in from roll call, Hogan found himself staring out of the window that was in his quarters at both the sunny day and the Kommandantur's office that was across from barracks two. _I still don't know how I feel about this—though I suppose his saving my life counts for something_, Hogan thought to himself, knowing that his werewolf Kommandant was probably filling out more paperwork in his office. Even though Klink had promised that his other half would never hurt Hogan, he still wished that the men that he knew in his life were just that—plain, non-supernatural men.

Leaving his quarters, he approached Corporal LeBeau, who was pouring his team their breakfast coffee. He smiled as he saw him add extra lumps of sugar to both Newkirk's and Carter's, since Newkirk had once told him that it helped to mimic the body's natural blood sugar. Turning his head, he saw his three men sitting down, as LeBeau set the cups down in front of them. _Everything is as it should be_ he thought to himself. Yet, he allowed himself a small sigh as he picked up his own cup. Turning around, he walked back into his quarters, not knowing that Newkirk and Carter were watching him leave.

_When do you think Colonel Hogan is going to tell us?_ Carter thought to his friend, using the telepathy that all vampires possessed. _He shouldn't have to do this—not on his own, at least._

_This is new for 'im, Andrew. 'E's probably 'aving a million feelings at once—and none of them good. I'd rather not confront 'im about it, since you know 'ow private the Gov'nor is, but we'll give 'im until tomorrow._ Newkirk allowed himself to sigh. He had and would always protect his commanding officer—that was his priority. He didn't know how or why it had happened, and at the moment he didn't exactly care. He just wished his commanding officer would open up about his feelings.

Back inside his quarters, Hogan sat at his table and looked dreamily at his coffee that he held with both hands, as though it would solve all of his problems. He took a sip, and then another. However, he sighed and angrily set the cup down on his table. _I hate this!_ he thought to himself. He only wished that he was talking about the coffee, though he didn't care much for it either. Turning to face his door, he found himself thinking about two of his men who were still sitting around the common table. _I wonder if they know?_ he thought to himself. _They probably don't, or they might have offered to help me by now. Some friends they are!_ Sighing, he tried to make himself think rationally, yet he found that it had been almost impossible ever since he had escaped from Sergeant Faust. _Robert, you know that isn't how it is. They still care about you—that fact will _never _change._

As quickly as he had sat down at his table, he got back up and started pacing his room. He had found that he had been very restless lately, which actually surprised him a bit. _How can I be so restless when I feel so hungry?_ he silently asked himself. He had yet to eat any real nourishment since his ordeal, though he had often made himself eat LeBeau's cooking. Lying down on his lower bunk, he found that his headache had returned, as well as his muscle cramps. Sometimes he didn't know what was worse- the physical pain, or the emotional torment. Still, he would never let his men know the pain that he was in, as the last thing he wanted was for his team to experience any friction or guilt over what had happened. At the same time, he remembered a small event that had occurred a couple of days beforehand, as he had made the mistake of informing his second-in-command, Sergeant Kinch, that he had a bad headache when he saw his commanding officer vigorously rubbing his forehead. Hogan found that he had to stop himself from shouting at him that he didn't need any attention from the camp's medic, Joseph Wilson. _Yelling wouldn't __have__ done anybody any good_ he thought to himself. At the same time, he knew that irritability was only one of the symptoms of his physical pain.

Even though Hogan tried not to think about it, he couldn't help but begin to feel out of control, as he noticed that no matter what he tried to think about, his hunger wouldn't leave him. The only relief he felt was that up until that point, he had managed to put enough distance between himself and his men to avoid hurting them. He was also thankful that fortunately, no missions had come in for Papa Bear's team up until that point in time, since he didn't exactly trust himself to be their leader at the moment. The Colonel allowed a single tear to roll down his face as he realized what he had to do, though the very thought repulsed him. _I don't want to do it, _he thought to himself. _Please, not that—anything but that. I'm not supposed to feel that way about blood!_ Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep, though it was one filled with nightmares as he thought about the event that had recently occurred.

As the event played itself over in his mind, he found himself tossing and turning in his sleep, and he awakened in a cold sweat right before the main act had occurred. Looking down at his watch, he saw that it was time for his mission for that night. Earlier in the day, Kinch had received a message from the Underground that Hogan was to meet a new contact who was stationed in the local hospital. Getting up from his bunk bed, he made his way out of his quarters, through the barracks, and down into the tunnel so that he could prepare for his rendezvous. After he had changed into German civilian clothes, he made his way over to the secret ammunitions room that was connected to the tunnels. Picking up his favorite gun, he found himself studying it—much the same way that he sometimes found himself studying Kinch's or LeBeau's necks, though he knew that his two men didn't notice. Sighing, he tucked it inside his jacket. _I know Faust may be dead, but I'm _not _going to give him the satisfaction_ he thought to himself. _Besides, when I have ever been the type to do things the easy way?_ As he left the tunnels, he didn't realize that two familiar figures were following him, and that they were also making their way to the local hospital.

As the two figures followed Hogan, they knew that it would be hard for him to control himself and his bloodlust, much as it had once been for them in the beginning. Even though he was going on a relatively simple mission, they wanted to make sure that no harm fell to either their commanding officer or any people that he might have to come in contact with.

_I 'ave to admit that I'm glad you talked me into this_ Newkirk thought to the second man. _The Gov'nor should _not _be left alone in 'is condition._ _Besides, it will let us kill two birds with one stone, as it were._

_Do you think the Colonel will finally steal what he needs?_ Carter silently replied to his friend. _I don't know about you, but __I haven't__ seen him take any nourishment yet. At least, not since Wilson stopped giving him his blood transfusion four days ago._

_Neither 'ave I_ Newkirk replied. _'E may be in denial—that's perfectly natural at first. Still, it wouldn't do 'im any good to lose control of 'imself. More than ever, the Colonel needs our 'elp—and we're gonna be there for 'im when 'e decides to open up. It's just like I promised 'im in 'is dream once—'e won't be alone in this._ Newkirk wouldn't let himself think that perhaps the Colonel was starving himself to death on purpose, as the thought was too horrifying to comprehend. He knew that Hogan was probably angry at what he had become, as well as the fact that he would never know eternal peace. _After all, I remember what Carter told me about 'ow 'e felt in the beginning…_

Before either man had time to think about their commanding officer further, they found that they were outside of the hospital. Sighing, they made sure that Hogan was safely inside before they continued to follow him in at a safe distance.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: At the Hospital

Once Hogan was inside the hospital, he found that he had to force himself to concentrate on the mission that was on hand, even though he noticed that he was too busy studying the fraulein nurses. However, he was repulsed by the fact that instead of noticing how pretty or feminine they appeared, he found that he was gazing at their necks instead. _I wonder if this is how Carter and Newkirk felt when they were first changed?_ he thought to himself. _I'm not supposed to want to lead them off into a secluded room and then attack them, but why do I feel this overwhelming desire to drink their blood?_ It was then that Hogan accepted what he had to do. _They say that they often steal their blood from the hospital….If I want these perverted feelings of mine to go away, I'm going to have to do the same._

However, Hogan knew that he had a mission to accomplish first. _After all, I'm new at this. I'd probably do something stupid like have my contact catch me with a blood bag._ Hogan quickly scanned the area, looking for the thirty-something, tall, blonde-haired and brown-eyed contact that he was supposed to find, as described to him by Kinch. Hogan saw the man, dressed as a German doctor, who was standing at the end of a hallway to the Colonel's right immediately after he had entered the hospital.

Walking up to the man, Hogan tried to play it nonchalantly, and he forced himself to concentrate on the man's face and not his neck. "I'm looking for a friend of mine. He's been here over a week, for ten days" Hogan began.

"I'm afraid that visiting hours are over, but you can come back on Tuesday," the man replied.

"I will be out of town on Tuesday. Could I come back on Wednesday instead?" Hogan answered.

"Yes, you may come back on Wednesday." Cautiously, the man asked, "Papa Bear?"

"Yes. White Fox?"

"Yes. It's a little hard to believe that we're winning the war with this corny code," the man answered. Hogan allowed himself to smile, since he had once said similar words to his Underground contact, Max, in the nearby grocery store.

"So, what did you want to see me about? One of my cubs said that it was urgent."

White Fox rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. "I've come to warn you. I'm sure you're aware of the fact that another bridge in Dusseldorf was blown up recently? We all thought that Hochstetter had caught the agents who were responsible for the bombing, but recently we have found out that the men that the Gestapo Major had caught were innocent. Naturally, your team is the leading demolitions experts in the area, so he'll probably want to place the blame on you. The men that were interrogated didn't tell anything, but we are prepared to get them out of Germany, just in case. Hochstetter has released them."

Upon hearing what White Fox had to say, Hogan found that he was both pleased and annoyed. "Well, I'm glad that those agents are safe, but I suspect that if this was all that you had to tell me, then you could have relayed it over the radio. I trust that you have something to add?"

Sighing, the man once again rubbed the back of his neck and nodded. "Yes—it concerns another one of our agents. Last night, I was supposed to meet with a Black Dove. So, I go to the arranged meeting place, and he's there alright, but…"

"But what?" Hogan asked, not knowing where White Fox was heading.

"I'm not sure if you'll believe me. I wouldn't believe it myself if I hadn't seen it with my two eyes. It looked like an animal had attacked him. When I examined his body, I noticed that there were four puncture marks on his neck, and there was blood dripping from the wound."

Hogan inwardly gasped, since he knew that it was no animal that was behind Black Dove's demise. _I know that Newkirk and Carter don't kill without good reason, such as when they attacked Colonel Magerlein, and they would _never _kill or even hurt an Underground agent. Plus, I know that I haven't really been out of the barracks much lately, let alone out of Stalag 13 to carry out such a gruesome attack….That can only mean one thing—there's some new, bad vampires in town._ Of course, Hogan knew that he couldn't tell White Fox this.

"It's probably some unknown creature, but I'll make sure to look into this," Hogan reassuringly told his contact.

"Thank you, Papa Bear. I wouldn't wish what happened to Black Dove on the Fuhrer himself."

With that, both Hogan and his contact walked off. Having settled the matter of his mission, Hogan had found that it was necessary to concentrate with all of his might on not letting his eyes become a greenish tint when White Fox had mentioned the blood. Still, it hadn't made his hunger any easier. _Alright Robert, this is going to be simple. Just pretend that you're stealing some papers, or another easy task like that. Just find the room where they keep the blood, get in, get what you need, and get out. There's no reason to worry_ Hogan thought to himself, even though he found that he was doing exactly that.

On the way to the hospital, Hogan had found that he had done a lot of soul-searching. _Do I want to die and go to Heaven? Eventually, but now is not the time. It's just like how I thought to myself—my men need their commanding officer, they need their Papa Bear._ Hogan had allowed a slight smile to cross his face as he had remembered Newkirk telling him that vampires still had their souls. Still, the Colonel found that he was as confused as he had ever been in his entire life. _I know that this is the only way I can keep on living, but I wish I could go back to being able to taste LeBeau's cooking instead….If I had known that my last meal before I got kidnapped by Sergeant Faust was going to be my _last _meal, I would have eaten like it was Thanksgiving._

Looking around the hospital, Hogan let his instincts take over for him. He decided to continue down the hallway, until he found what he was looking for. Or, more correctly, it found him. As Hogan approached the room, he noticed that the smell of blood was gradually increasing, until it hit him right in the face as though LeBeau was wearing one of his strongest colognes. _That's odd_ Hogan thought to himself. _I don't remember the blood having a smell while I was in the infirmary, and Wilson was administering the transfusion._ Carefully, Hogan looked around and was glad that nobody seemed to be in sight. He tentatively reached out his hand to grasp the doorknob, and carefully yet quickly opened and then closed it. Stepping inside, he noticed that the room was filled with blood bags that were typically used for transfusion, and the smell was overpowering. Hogan didn't know whether he should gag or grab everything in sight and drink it right in the room. Slowly, Hogan took some deep breaths. _I've got to keep control of myself. I can't afford to be caught in here, so I'll just take what I can carry. Hopefully, there will be enough for the three of us._ Hogan allowed a small smile to cross his face, relieved that he was still thinking about taking care of his men.

Hogan quickly picked up three bags that were nearest to him, and hid them inside his jacket, next to his gun. _Hopefully this will be enough. One for me, one for Newkirk, and one for Carter._ Hogan carefully inched open the door, looking around to make sure that nobody was in sight. Sighing, Hogan saw that nobody was, so he quickly scrambled out of the room before he could get caught. As Hogan started walking back down the hallway to exit the hospital, he saw that two men were quickly approaching him. Trying to avoid looking suspicious, Hogan turned around and walked back the other way. He rounded the hallway into another one, and found himself leaning against the wall. Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Newkirk and Carter were repeating the exact same actions that he had just performed. Once they had exited the room where the blood was kept, they began walking back down the hallway.

Newkirk turned to face his friend. _I wonder why the Colonel was avoiding us? Doesn't 'e know that we can 'elp 'im, if 'e would just open up to us?_

Carter silently replied _Maybe he didn't recognize us? We were pretty far off, so he might have mistaken us for a couple of Krauts._

'_E's probably not ready to open up_ Newkirk replied while sighing_. Blimey, sometimes I wish 'e wasn't so private about 'is feelings. Of course, you know that's going to change soon._

_I know_ Carter replied. _He's been around us long enough that the psychic link will come easy to him. Still, I wonder how he's going to feel once he starts thinking the same things that we do, and feeling the same things that we feel?_

As Hogan watched his men near the door, he found himself sighing. _The way I see it, I have two options at the moment. I could let them leave the hospital, and be stuck with my torment and confusion…Or, I could catch up with them, and ask for their help._ Hogan knew that he had never been the type of man who had asked for his men's help, especially when it came to his emotions. Still, forcing himself to think rationally, he knew what he had to do, and what he should have done since the beginning. He quickly began walking after his men, and caught up with them just as they were about to leave the hospital.

Hogan found that he had to force himself to look his men in the eyes, and he motioned with his hand for them to follow him inside a room that he knew to be empty before he quickly open and shut the door. He knew that if he talked to them outside of the hospital a German patrol might find them, and if he waited until they got back to the tunnels Kinch and/or LeBeau might overhear what he had to say. _I'm barely ready to tell Carter and Newkirk_ Hogan thought to himself. _I remember how Kinch and LeBeau acted in the beginning, when they found out their secrets—angry, fearful, and disgusted. I don't really need that at the moment._

Carter and Newkirk found themselves inwardly smiling, since they suspected that their commanding officer was finally willing and able to open up to them.

Looking down at his feet, Hogan sighed before saying the four words that he hoped would change everything. Quietly, almost inaudibly, he said, "Guys… I need your help."

It was then that he looked up at his men, allowing himself to show his green eyes and his upper fangs.

_It's about time_ Newkirk and Carter thought to themselves.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Opening Up

Hogan looked back and forth between his two men, surprised to see how calm and collected they appeared. "Did you know about this?" he asked them in an accusatory tone.

"We suspected that something was different about you, especially when you had to close your eyes during the blood transfusion. So, yes—we knew," both men informed him at the same time.

Suddenly, Hogan's eyes flashed a brilliant shade of green. "Then why didn't you two try to help me?" he hissed. As soon as the words had escaped his lips, he instantly regretted them. He could see that his men appeared hurt, though they quickly regained their composure. His face immediately softened as did his voice. "I'm sorry; I don't know what came over me. It's just that…" However, before Hogan could finish, he felt an overwhelming pain in his stomach, which caused him to grip it with both hands before he doubled over, slightly moaning.

Carter and Newkirk quickly shot each other an expression of worry, before they approached their Colonel, one on each side. They quickly grabbed both of his arms with one of theirs, and led him into a seating position against the wall that was opposite of the door.

_I know what I have to do, if I want this pain to go away_ the Colonel quietly told himself. He slowly reached a hand inside his jacket, and brought out the first blood bag. He turned it over in one hand, studying it as though he was studying the blueprints to the Tiger tank that he and his men had once "borrowed." He frowned distastefully as he looked at the blood bag. The entire thought that this was what his life had become sickened him. He just wished he could...no, it was selfish of him to think about wanting to die rather than live this way if this could be called living, especially since he knew that he still had to lead his operation and watch over his men.

"I don't want this. If anything, I want my life back. I want that more than I've ever wanted anything in my entire life," he quietly said, though he wasn't aware he was saying the words out loud. The abdominal cramps worsened as did his headache. Finally relenting because two of his men were present, and before either of them could respond, he tried ripping the bag open with trembling hands. Failing to do so, he got it to open on the second try by using his fangs. Then, before he allowed himself to think about what he was about to do, he took his first drink. Hogan could feel the blood rushing through his veins, filling his entire body with satisfaction. _It's a little cold, but this is pretty good_ he thought to himself. _But still, I'm not supposed to be feeling this way!_ He was confused. How could he feel disgust and enjoyment at the same time? However, his confusion quickly passed out of his mind as he began to feel the blood's euphoric sensation, and he let out a contented sigh. Still, he found that even though he had drunk the entire first bag, his desire for the substance was still so strong that he repeated the act with the second bag, and half of the third bag as well.

"Boy sir, you drink like a fish," Carter replied, having watched his commanding officer finish both bags.

Newkirk shot his friend an annoyed look. "Andrew, that isn't 'elping."

"Sorry," Carter replied, looking down at his feet before looking up again.

"Sir, 'ow are you feeling now?" Newkirk asked, gently laying a hand on his commanding officer's shoulder.

Hogan surprised himself by not brushing it away, though Newkirk slowly removed it. "I don't feel irritable anymore, and my stomach cramps and headache have gone away. But…" Hogan stopped himself, still not sure at how to express his emotional or physical torment. He looked at his men, bewildered and more confused than ever. "How can I both like and hate this at the same time?" he asked. A single tear rolled down his face as he continued, "Guys, what is _happening_ to me? Make it stop; I just want all of this to go away!"

Newkirk looked at Carter, and both men could feel Hogan's inner pain and turmoil. They realized that they would have to take the lead in explaining everything to him. "Let us guess. The reason you haven't been out of the barracks much lately is because the sun hurts your eyes, and you feel like you're burning up. Plus, you've noticed that you can smell the blood, even when you're not even in the room where it's stored. The smell doesn't go away, but the pain caused by the sun should in a couple of days. In addition, you probably feel sore in your legs and arms, which is caused by your muscles thickening. That's why we're so strong and fast. Finally, you feel a slight tingling sensation in your brain, which is caused by the telepathy trying to emerge" both men replied at the same time. "It's all part of the process, as your body and your mind experience the change into becoming a vampire."

Hogan looked back and forth between his men, slightly wide-eyed. "That's _exactly_ how I feel, but I don't _want_ to feel this way! I want to go back to feeling how I used to feel. I want to go back to being the Hogan that I know. I know that we go on our missions at night, but I like being in the sun as much as the next guy. I'm glad that at least some of the pain will go away soon, but why can't all of it?" Still, Hogan sighed, knowing that he hadn't even mentioned the worst of it. _Maybe there is something else wrong with me?_ he thought to himself. _After all, it's one thing to want to attack Colonel Magerlein, or Sergeant Faust, but how can I possibly explain the _real _reason for why I've been trying to avoid as much contact as possible with my men?_ Though he didn't mean to, Hogan had found that thinking those thoughts had caused him to wrap his arms around himself, and he had slowly begun rocking back and forth, keeping his head down.

Seeing their Colonel had begun to shut down again, Carter looked at Newkirk, the pain evident on both men's faces at seeing their commanding officer in such pain. Slowly, Carter sat down next to Hogan, tentatively laying a hand on his commanding officer's shoulder. "Sir, I think I know what you don't want to say—but it needs to be said. You're afraid of hurting Kinch and LeBeau, aren't you? You're afraid that your desire for blood, your bloodlust is so powerful that you'll…_kill_ them." Seeing Hogan slowly nod, Carter took that as a small sign of encouragement to go on. "I remember how much I hated the thought of it at first, and how hard it was for me to control myself also. Unfortunately, that's what happens with a vampire's true nature, or his 'dark side'."

Hogan forced himself to look at Carter, his sad green eyes meeting his sergeant's. "I don't understand. You two have always been able to control yourself—what do you mean by 'true nature'? You're starting to worry me."

Newkirk then sat down next to Hogan. "Sir, no vampire is born knowing 'ow to control 'is desire for blood. It can take days, weeks, sometimes even months to master that desire. In the meantime, sometimes a vampire can…well, 'e can do things that 'e isn't exactly proud of."

At first, Hogan could only look at his corporal quizzically. However, as the truth began to sink in, his expression turned to one of fear, though he wasn't sure if it was more for himself or about his two men. "Please don't tell me what I think you're about to. I don't think I can handle it, or much of anything at the moment, but please, just give me the number," he quietly requested of them.

Carter and Newkirk sighed, thinking about their own painful and conflicted pasts. Quietly, they told Hogan, "Together, between the both of us? We've killed three dozen people."

Hogan gasped. _I can understand one or two, but three dozen?_ "Three _dozen?_" he asked incredulously, hoping that he had misheard the number. "Are you sure you don't mean three? Please, tell me that you only meant to say 'three'!"

"Like I said, it's not something we're proud of—we 'ate what we've done in the beginning, but it's the truth. We 'ave the murders, or attacks, of three dozen innocent people on our 'ands," Newkirk calmly informed his commanding officer. Inwardly, Newkirk and Carter both found themselves shuddering at how they had tricked the innocent men, women, and children into getting them alone, usually at night in dark alleys, only to fulfill their desire for the necessary substance. _But that's in the past, and we're in the present. The important thing is helping the Colonel adjust to his new life. Besides, if we can't keep ourselves calm, then Hogan will see that and he'll be in even more anguish than he already is._

Suddenly, Hogan jumped up from his seated position, and began to pace back and forth across the floor, hands clasped behind his back. After about a minute he stopped, and turned to face his men. "Then there's no hope for me, is there? I'm destined to let this hunger overtake me, and kill somebody innocent, aren't I? Perhaps I should just…" He didn't add 'by putting my gun to my heart and pulling the trigger myself.'

Seeing how upset Hogan was, his men quickly stood up and approached him. Carter gripped both of Hogan's shoulders, looking him straight in the face. "But there's one major difference between you and us. You see, the doctor that changed me, and the British soldier who changed Newkirk—well, they weren't exactly the best sires." Before Hogan could open his mouth to respond, Carter informed him, "A sire is the vampire who's changed a human into a vampire. After they had changed us, they pretty much left us alone. We were confused, hurt, and angry, and it didn't help that we didn't have anybody to teach us anything about how to deal with our desire. But sir," Carter allowed a small smile to form on his face, "That won't be the case with you. You have me and Newkirk here, and we're going to teach you everything we know about what we are. We promise, sir, you won't be alone in this."

Hogan allowed a very small smile to cross his face, before it quickly disappeared. "But still. Sometimes it's all I can think about; I've even had nightmares about hurting one of my men. I could never live with myself if I did that! Of course, one night I had a dream that…"

"Yes sir?" Carter and Newkirk asked at the same time, encouraging Hogan to tell them about his dream.

"Well, last night I dreamt that I was sitting around the table in the barracks, and I was eating some of LeBeau's food, and drinking his coffee. I could _taste_ it, and I knew that I hadn't been changed. It was the most beautiful feeling in the world. Of course, you two were still vampires in my dream, since I've long learned to accept that. But this morning…" Hogan had to fight to keep back the tears, since he didn't want his two men to see how much pain he was _really_ in.

"This morning, at breakfast, you found that you couldn't taste anything. Not the eggs that he cooked, or the coffee that he made. Unfortunately, that pain of never being able to taste food again doesn't really go away," Carter finished for Hogan.

Newkirk quickly added, "Not even after two 'undred years."

Hogan nodded, since he knew how much he had always enjoyed his corporal's cooking. Still, there was one more thing that bothered him. "There's still something that I don't understand, though I'm sure that I'll have more questions as I go along. But, _why_ exactly does the blood taste so good? It's wrong, isn't it? I mean, it's not _supposed_ to. Food is supposed to taste good, not blood! It's almost like eating a lot of chocolate at one sitting. I've only heard about how it feels, but it seems like I experience the same euphoric sensation as drug addicts do."

"We prefer the term blood addicts, sir. It's all part of that overwhelming bloodlust desire, the fact that you're willing to do just about anything to get a 'fix,' to get some blood into your system," Hogan's men answered at the same time.

"And we mean _anything_," Carter added, looking down at his feet.

Suddenly, Hogan's mind flashed back to something that his sergeant had once told him, after he had learned about The Angels. _"Nobody had ever taught me how to be a vampire before, how to control my desire for blood before I met Newkirk."_ Hogan grew wide-eyed as the horrific truth behind those words began to sink in. "Are you telling me," the Colonel slowly began, fighting to keep back his growing anxiety, "That you wanted to snack on me, Kinch, and LeBeau when you first came to Stalag 13?"

Without looking up, Carter slowly nodded his head.

Hogan didn't know how to respond to Carter's news. _It's a good thing that he didn't tell me this in the beginning, or I probably would have wanted to avoid him even more than I had. At the same time, how I can possibly still be expected to lead my team, since we have the same desire for blood? I had my doubts before, but I…No, more than ever, I need to trust my men, and the fact that they'll be able to help me. But still, maybe I should come up with a reason to get back to London, and let Kinch take over the operation. At least I'll be away from my men, and I won't be able to hurt them._

Before Hogan could continue his thoughts, Carter asked him, "Sir, would you like Newkirk here to make you a bracelet?"

Looking at his friend, Newkirk responded while smiling, "I'd be glad to. It's no trouble at all."

"Bracelet? I've never seen you wear a bracelet," Hogan asked, looking at his sergeant quizzically. Carter took off his jacket and handed it to Newkirk, before he began to roll up his sleeve and then removed the bracelet. He smiled as Hogan held out his hand, and then gently placed it in the Colonel's open palm. Hogan turned it around, studying the engraved words that were written on the four wooden beads: Control, Respect, Patience and Consequence. Hogan listened as Carter explained the significance of each word, and what it meant to him personally.

Placing the bracelet back in Carter's hand, Hogan turned his attention to Newkirk. "I know that bracelets can be a bit feminine, but I'd like it if you could make me one of those, more than you'll ever know. Thank you." Upon hearing Hogan's words, Newkirk allowed himself to smile. "But how did you stop yourself, from killing even more people I mean? I need to know, because I need to do the same."

Carter looked at Newkirk, before both men continued at the same time. "Thankfully, and especially after the second set of fangs grow in, the positive aspects of the soul begin to re-emerge after the initial change. The guilt and remorse can be just as powerful, if not more so, than the hunger….We just couldn't stand ourselves after a while, doing what we were doing," they quietly finished.

Hogan nodded, and he saw a new look in his men's eyes, ones that he had never seen before. Carter had never shown it while he was making and planting his bombs, and Newkirk had never shown it on his best pickpocket or safecracking jobs. _They genuinely hate, and feel guilty, for what they did_ he thought to himself. "Guys, the past is in the past. I know you're nothing like that now, and that's the important thing." _Maybe, just maybe, there's some hope for me after all, Hogan thought to himself._

Carter and Newkirk allowed small smiles to cross their face. "Thank you sir—we needed to hear that."

Hogan's own, small smile was quickly replaced by another worry, which was what White Fox had told him about just a little over an hour ago. "But there's still one more, very important thing that you have to know. I met the contact tonight, and he was supposed to meet a different agent last night. He said that the agent was at the pre-arranged meeting place, but that he had died because of an animal attack. After he examined the body, he said that there were four puncture wounds on the neck, and that blood was dripping from it."

Newkirk and Carter could only stare at their commanding officer wide-eyed. Carter looked like he might faint, while Newkirk could only exclaim "Blimey!"

Holding up his hand, Hogan continued, "Now, we all know that this wasn't an animal that attacked him, and I know that you would _never_ do anything like that. We need to find out who did this, and possibly how many of them there are. But the most important thing, of course, is that we need to put a stop to this before more innocent people are killed." Hogan saw that both men nodded with fierce resolution.

"We know you probably won't listen to us," Carter and Newkirk said at the same time, flashing their commanding officer a sly smile, "but for once you need to concentrate on taking care of yourself, and the changes that you're experiencing. Leave this to us."

Hogan applied with a sarcastic smile of his own. "No. If I can help, I'd like to. If saving innocent people from these bad, remorseless vampires is the one good thing that can come out of this, I want to help. I haven't changed _that_ much, you know," Hogan said, referring to his stubborn streak. Then, quietly, almost inaudibly, he whispered, "I _need_ to help with this. I need to know that some good will come out of all of this."

Suddenly, a new thought occurred to him, one that he had simply brushed aside as one of their quirks in the past. "You know, ever since you two told me that you were vampires, I've noticed that you're often saying the same thing at the same time. Why is that? Will something like that happen to me too?"

It was then that Carter and Newkirk looked down at their feet, before quickly looking up again. "We know how private you are, so you may not like what we have to say. In addition to the telepathy, we've been around each other long enough that we share a psychic link with each other. We often think and feel the same things. That link should come easy to you, once your own telepathy develops."

Hogan could only nod. He knew that he didn't exactly enjoy _that_ change that was about to take place, since he had and would always consider himself to be rather private. _Still, maybe that part of my life is over as well. Maybe I can't afford to be private any more—and especially not since I'm going to need to rely on my men._ However, he replied, "We'll cross that bridge when I come to it."

Suddenly, Carter and Newkirk looked at him quizzically. "Sir, when did this happen? Who changed you?"

Hogan wrapped his arms around himself, and he looked down at his feet, as he could feel himself emotionally shutting down again. Quietly, almost inaudibly, he whispered, "Faust. I didn't want you two to feel guilty, and I still don't. I'm sure you must have heard him attack me back when he had us locked up?" Hogan saw that both men nodded. "I lied when I told you that he hadn't changed me, since I had a strong suspicion that was what he was doing to me." Hogan found that he had to fight to keep back the tears as he continued, "I died that night." Suddenly, Hogan found that his anger over what had happened overtook him as he thought back to that horrific moment in his past. "Do you understand me? I _died_ that night. Colonel Robert Hogan is _dead_, and he's not coming back!"

However, Hogan immediately let his voice and face soften again, as he could see that his men appeared hurt. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you two."

"I knew it! It's all our bleedin' fault!" Newkirk quickly exclaimed, the guilt already beginning to register on his face..

"You always told us how much you didn't want to be changed. We were right there, _right there,_ in the cell next to yours and we couldn't do a single thing about it. I _knew_ I should have talked!" Carter also exclaimed.

Hogan could see that the guilt that his men were experiencing was overwhelming for them. "No, that wouldn't have solved anything, so let's get a couple of things straight. You were locked up, so there was nothing you could have done about it Newkirk. And Carter, I'm glad that you didn't talk. I'll be alright." _I hope, he thought to himself._

"But you're a vampire!" both men shouted at the same time.

"First of all, keep your voices down, and that's an order. Do you want the Krauts to hear us? I'll try to keep mine down as well. Besides, so are you two," Hogan replied.

"Yeah, but that's different. We're used to it, and you're not. We're so, so sorry Colonel. Can you ever forgive us?"

Hogan could only look at Carter, slightly stunned. "I don't need to forgive you, because you're not responsible for this. That monster Faust turned my life, if this _is_ life, upside-down—not you. I need you to promise me one thing though."

"Anything, sir," they replied at the same time.

"I _don't_ want you two feeling guilty. This has happened, and no amount of guilt is going to change that. I don't need or want it. In fact, any time you two start feeling guilty, just repeat to yourselves 'It was Faust's fault, _not_ mine.' Can you two do that for me?"

"We'll try," they answered at the same time.

"Good." Then, while both trying to change the subject and before he himself could think about what he was saying, and trying to avoid thinking any more about the anguish and torment that Faust had caused him, Hogan suddenly blurted, "I want to join."

Carter and Newkirk could only look at their commander quizzically. "What do you want to join, sir?"

"The Angels. If you're working for them, they seem like an alright bunch to me. I want to be a part of them, so I can feel like I still belong somewhere."

"Well, I'm sure that Anne would accept you, even though you two haven't met each other yet. After all, she knows about your own organization, so I don't see why not," Carter replied. "But usually her agents sign up for at least two wars, though we'll see if she'll make an exception for you."

"How do you know there's going to be another war? I'm tired of war. Heck, I'm tired of _all_ of this" Hogan slowly replied, suddenly finding that his anguish was making him exhausted, and all he really wanted to do was go back to his quarters and try to get a couple of hours of sleep.

Reaching out and putting a hand on Hogan's shoulder again, before slowly removing it, Newkirk answered. "Isn't there always another war? The British 'ate the fact that America won its independence, so there's the War of 1812. America won't free its slaves, so there's the Civil War. Plus, that 'War to End All Wars' 'as proven to be anything but."

Hogan rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. "Unfortunately, that's true. Why can't everybody learn to get along with each other, and just respect one another? Why does there have to be so much bloodshed in the world?"

"Boy sir, you're starting to sound like a hippie. Are you sure you want to continue your military career after this?" Carter asked.

Hogan could only look at his sergeant dumb-founded. "A _what?"_

Carter slyly flashed his commanding officer a smile. "Anne told me about it, from one of her visions. A hippie, a flower child. Look it up in another twenty years."

"Thanks, but I'll let the future take care of itself. I'm going to need to take this one day at a time, one week at a time." Hogan quickly thought of a new idea. "I'm going to have to retire after this war, aren't I? As a Colonel, and especially if I ever make General, my life would be scrutinized too much. I can't exactly explain why I've been spending so much time in hospitals, now can I? I was looking forward to making General after the war ended, but that's impossible now, isn't it?" Hogan let a single tear fall as he quietly continued, "I'll never be able to fly the blue skies again, will I?" He sarcastically added, "It's a shame that vampires don't have wings."

"You probably will 'ave to retire, yes," Newkirk responded. "We know you've always been a career officer, but that's no longer an option. Was there anything else you were interested in doing when you were a child?"

"Well, I've always wanted to have a family, and…Tiger! I wanted to marry her after the war." Hogan looked down at his feet before looking up again and continuing, "How can I possibly explain _this_ to her? How can I explain something that I don't understand myself?"

"Sir, if she loves you, and I mean _truly_ loves you, she'll be able to look past all of this, but of course you'll have to help her understand. After all, there are no rules against a human marrying a vampire, except…" Carter replied, slowly taking hold of his Colonel's hand in his own. A look of sadness appeared on his face and in his eyes.

"What is it?" Hogan asked, not liking Carter's expression.

Carter and Newkirk exchanged looks before they both faced the Colonel, knowing they were about to give him more bad news.

"Well, sir," Newkirk began. "Now that you're a vampire, you and Tiger won't be able to have children." He looked down at his feet.

Hogan pulled his hand out of Carter's and shaking his head in disbelief, slowly and as if in a daze, walked to a nearby wall and leaned his forehead against it with arms folded.

"This can't be happening. Tiger and I want to have a family and now we can't? This can't be happening to me." He suddenly turned and faced his men. "Are you sure about that? I mean really sure?" The anguish could be seen on his face.

Neither Newkirk nor Carter spoke as they looked down at the floor.

"Something else Faust took from me besides my life," Hogan quietly said. Then he suddenly remembered something else; and that was the other two men back in the tunnels waiting for them.

"This just keeps getting better and better," he said as he shook his head with closed eyes. "I haven't even told Kinch or LeBeau about this yet. What if they act the same way that they did when they first found out your secret? They were angry, fearful, and disgusted. They won't accept me, will they? Not like I can _blame_ them." He quickly added, "No offense, of course." Opening his eyes again he looked at Carter and Newkirk.

Taking over for Carter, Newkirk answered, "None taken sir. We know how 'ard this will be for you in the beginning, so you're welcome to yell at us all you want if it makes you feel any better. We can 'andle it. Besides, that was probably due to initial shock. They might be more understanding now."

Hogan could only nod, before he replied, "Then tonight. I'll tell them as soon as we get back to the tunnels tonight."

Newkirk could only look at Carter, surprise registering on his face before he turned back to his commanding officer. "Are you sure about that? Don't you think you should wait a while?"

_Maybe Newkirk's right; maybe I'm still not thinking rationally about this. Maybe I should wait—and keep on waiting. Maybe I should…_ "No, it has to be tonight. If I don't tell them now I'm not sure that I ever will, and I don't want them finding out on their own. Besides, I'd probably do something stupid like have them catch me drinking blood right in the barracks. We've been here for about two hours now, so we should start heading back to camp before they wonder what took us so long. But there's something I have to do first, even though I certainly don't _want_ to." Inwardly, Hogan was remembering a famous quote that he had once read in a newspaper that Churchill had said: "_Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen." It's a good thing that all of my men are some of the most courageous people that I know. I'm going to need to rely on that trait of theirs, more than I ever have before._

Carter and Newkirk nodded, since they suspected what their commanding officer wanted and needed to do. Quickly, Newkirk inched open the door to check to make sure that the coast was clear. Seeing that it was, all three men quickly scrambled out before Hogan, who was following behind Carter, quickly shut it. He quickly walked back down the hallway towards the blood room, before he quickly scrambled in, grabbed five more bags and tucked them inside his jacket, and scrambled out again. After that was accomplished, all three men left the hospital and began hurrying back to their Stalag, with Newkirk leading the way and Carter taking up the rear.

Once they were safely back inside the tunnels, Hogan saw that Kinch and LeBeau were gathered around the radio, and that LeBeau was nervously walking around it in small circles. Upon seeing Hogan and his other men returned, relieved smiles appeared on both of their faces.

"Mon Colonel, what took you so long? We thought you were just going to meet a contact and hurry back here," LeBeau said.

Hogan allowed himself to take a couple of deep breaths, since he knew what he wanted and had to do. "I was, but Newkirk and Carter caught up with me, and we got to talking." Inwardly Hogan smiled, relieved that he had decided to catch up with his men instead of letting them leave the hospital without him.

Kinch, sensing Hogan's nervousness, asked his commanding officer, "What did you three need to talk about?"

Hogan looked to his left to face Carter, and then to his right to face Newkirk. _Well, wish me luck_ he silently thought to himself. Suddenly, before he could change his mind, Hogan allowed his eyes to become green and his upper fangs to come out. The Colonel could see that his other two men were positively speechless.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: From Bad to Worse

Hogan watched as Kinch and LeBeau stood in silence for a couple of minutes, and he slowly watched as his men's attention drifted between him, Carter and Newkirk. Suddenly, LeBeau walked up to Carter and punched him in the arm with all of his strength.

"Ow. Now what did you do that for?" Carter asked, looking down at his arm while he began rubbing the area where the corporal had hit him. Even though his emotions were hurt more than his arm, he knew that LeBeau sometimes liked to playfully punch his teammates. However, this was not one of those times.

Next, Kinch got up from his radio and quickly walked over to Newkirk, and he began to roughly push him about.

"What have you two done to the Colonel?" they asked at the same time, fighting to hold back the anger that they felt building up inside of them.

Suddenly, LeBeau reached out and slapped Carter's face. "You two are sick. Do you hear moi? You two are _sick!_ You turned mon Colonel, didn't you? Worse yet, you must have brainwashed him somehow, because he thinks that all you were doing to him was 'talking'!"

"Yeah, if you think we'll believe for one minute that simply 'talking' to him was what you two were doing for the past two hours, you've both got another thing coming to you," Kinch said, holding up his hand that he had balled into a fist in his boxing stance.

If Hogan had thought that he was confused below, nothing could prepare him for the way that his men were reacting. He had expected that perhaps they would be scared or disgusted at him at first, but he hadn't expected them to think that Carter or Newkirk had been the ones who were responsible for his changing. At the very least, he had expected Kinch to be the voice of reason, which didn't seem to be the case at the moment. Holding his head in his hands, he slowly began to shake it back and forth, trying to understand why his men would think that way. "No, it's not like that at all. You've got it all wrong. They didn't hurt me, but…"

However, before Hogan could tell them that Faust was the one who had been responsible for his changing, LeBeau grabbed his commanding officer and stood before him, much as he had once done when he had learned of Carter's and Newkirk's secret. "You're still under their brainwashing control, mon Colonel. Don't you worry, as Kinch and I will protect you." Turning his attention from Hogan to Carter, he continued. "I can't believe you did this," LeBeau added, spitting at Carter's feet. "Why would you two do a _disgusting, filthy_ thing like this?"

"What? You think _we_ did this to him?" Carter and Newkirk asked incredulously at the same time.

"Yes, we do. You two are vampires, so you probably thought that it would be fun to change us _all_ into the undead, starting with the Colonel here," Kinch said, standing next to LeBeau in front of Hogan.

"Listen, you guys. Carter and Newkirk didn't do this. Don't you understand that at least?" Hogan began. _I don't understand what's going on here. I'm too upside-down to make sense of this all, and they're not helping my anguish. But I have to, I _need _to at least make them understand this simple truth. I can't have any friction between my men, and especially not on account of me being what I am now! Why don't they understand that? _Hogan thought to himself, as he began to grip his head with both of his hands again.

Kinch then turned around and placed a hand reassuringly on his commanding officer's shoulder. "You're still under their brainwashing, sir. We'll take care of this for you," Kinch said.

Suddenly, LeBeau reached inside his jacket as though he was about to grab his gun, ready to protect his commander whatever the cost might be. "Kinch is right, mon Colonel. We're going to protect you, starting right now. We're going to put an end to this."

Hogan, upon seeing LeBeau's hand inside his jacket, suddenly and roughly pushed aside both men and stood in front of Carter and Newkirk, as though he was protecting them. "No, _you_ stop it! And while you're at it, you can shut up! You don't let anybody explain anything, damn it! Just both of you, _shut up!"_ Hogan loudly screamed, the fire burning in his green eyes. Hogan noticed that both men's eyes had suddenly grown very wide when they had heard their Colonel's outburst. They had never known their commander to be so angry before, and even when he did show his displeasure he had never shouted at them. Hogan began to wrap his arms around himself, and he looked down at his feet. "I'm sorry guys, I didn't mean to yell at you two like that. But I _need_ you two to know that Carter and Newkirk didn't hurt me. Faust did, ok? The guy who kidnapped all of us recently. He was a vampire. Can you get that through your heads?"

Suddenly, Hogan found that he had to sit down against one of the tunnel walls, which he quickly did. He brought his knees up to his chest, wrapped his arms around himself, and looked down. He hated the fact that he was taking his anger at Faust out on his men, since he knew that they hadn't done anything wrong. Also, what made it worse was that his other two men were blaming Newkirk and Carter. Slowly, he lifted his head up to look between Newkirk and Carter, who had sat down next to him. "I don't _want_ to be angry at or with _any_ of you. Please, tell me. Why am I so angry?" he asked, a single tear rolling down his cheek. He didn't bother brushing it away.

"Well, I would be angry too if I was you, sir. I mean, if Faust was the one responsible, your anger towards him is probably coming out at us, which is understandable," Kinch said, sitting down right in front of Hogan, who looked Kinch directly in the eyes. LeBeau quickly followed the sergeant's example, and before long they had formed a sort of circle on the ground.

"When did this happen, sir? If you don't mind us asking," LeBeau slowly began. Quickly, he looked at both Newkirk and Carter. "I'm sorry that I yelled at you and hit you, mes amis. I should know better than to think that you would ever hurt the Colonel." Hogan could see that Kinch nodded, before quickly adding his own apology.

"That's ok," Hogan's two other men quickly replied, hoping to drop the subject.

However, Hogan quickly looked down again, before replying, "I don't want to talk about it. Not now anyway, so Newkirk, you tell them." Hogan also found that he had to fight to bring his eyes to their normal color, and to retract his fangs.

"Faust saw that the Colonel 'ad fed us because we wouldn't talk, and so 'e was ruddy angry. 'E attacked the Colonel, and 'e changed 'im before we were rescued by Klink. You should 'ave seen 'ow brave the Kommandant was, 'uman against vampire. 'E took 'im out with one bullet, 'e did."

Hogan looked at his corporal, dumb-founded. "That isn't how it went. You see, Klink is a…"

However, Carter cut him off before Hogan could finish. "What the Colonel means to say is that Klink is a very brave man for what he did. Isn't that what you meant to say, sir?" Carter asked, hoping that Hogan would follow his lead.

Hogan inwardly gasped, realizing that in his confused state-of-mind he had almost told LeBeau and Kinch that Klink was a shapeshifter.

LeBeau and Kinch quickly exchanged glances, before they turned back to look at Hogan. Hogan could only guess that they were suspicious why Carter had cut them off, but he was glad that they decided to drop the matter. He had no way of knowing that they knew _exactly_ what Hogan wanted to say.

Suddenly, Hogan gasped as the truth began to hit him. _I almost told them what I knew. No, it can't be that way! What if Hochstetter or Burkhalter appeared in Stalag 13, and tried to question me? What if I told them something that I shouldn't? I could get us all killed!_ It was then that Hogan realized what he had to do. Turning his head slightly to face Kinch, he tentatively reached a hand out and placed it on the sergeant's shoulder, fighting to avoid looking at his neck. "Kinch, I'm going to be honest with you. I haven't been myself lately, and I won't be for a while. I need you to take command of this team until I'm feeling better. Can you do that for me? _Please,_ I _need_ you to do this for me. It's very important!"

Quickly, Newkirk spoke up. "'Is body and 'is mind are experiencing the transformative changes of becoming a vampire, so the Colonel isn't exactly going to be 'imself for a while."

Kinch allowed a small, albeit worrisome smile to cross his face. "I believe I understand, sir. If you need me to do this for you, I'd be only too glad to take over until you're feeling better. I'm guessing that to keep up normal appearances, however, you don't want Klink to know about this?"

Hogan could only nod. "Thank you. You have _no _idea how much I need you to do that for me at the moment. You're also right about Klink. Thank you _so much_ Kinch." Suddenly, Hogan found that the emotional and physical torment of the night was beginning to take its toll, and he let out several yawns. "I'm beat. Goodnight," he said simply, and he began to walk over to the changing room, where he quickly put his regular outfit back on. He then climbed the ladder up into the barracks, before he quickly walked over to his quarters, and then opened and shut the door. Hogan found that he was too tired to even change into his pajamas, so he allowed himself to plop down on his lower bunk, still wearing his clothes. He could only hope that he would get a good night's rest during the couple of hours that he had between then and roll call.

…

That night, Hogan fell into a worrisome dream, which only added to his emotional anguish. Tossing and turning in his bed, he found that his nightmare was not about hurting one of his men. Instead, he found that it was his turn to be hurt.

_Hogan looked around and realized that he was in the tunnels. He could see that Newkirk and Carter were off in a private room, and that they were drinking some of their blood. He had long known what he wanted and needed to do, and he had stubbornly decided to carry out his plan that night. Walking up to them, he found that for apparently the first time since Faust had attacked him, he was in full control of his emotions. He calmly told them, "Earlier today I had Kinch get in contact with Tiger, so I'm going to meet her tonight and explain what I've become." Putting a hand on his sergeant's shoulders, he added, "I _know _that she still loves me, and that she'll always love me. And no matter what I may have become, I'm still Hogan, still the man that she fell in love with when she first met me." He allowed a small smile to cross his face._

"_Good luck, sir" Carter and Newkirk replied at the same time._

_With that, Hogan left the tunnels and began walking to her apartment, which is where he had arranged to meet her. Hogan was relieved that he hadn't come across any German patrols during the distance that it took to walk between the tunnels and her apartment building, which only increased his confidence. Alright, here we go, he thought as he knocked on her door, using the pre-arranged code._

_Quickly, Tiger approached her apartment door and opened it. Hogan could see that she was very happy to see him, and she quickly gave him a hug, which he returned, before they both let go. Let's see how happy she is once she's learned what I become, he thought to himself. Taking her hand in his, he led her to her couch, where they both sat down._

_Tiger could sense that Hogan wanted to tell her something, so she asked him, "What is it, mon amour?"_

_Tentatively, Hogan began to tell her the new truth about himself. "Marie, I've…changed recently."_

_Hogan could see that a small expression of worry was beginning to form on her face. "Changed? Changed how?"_

"_Recently, two of my men and I were kidnapped by a Sergeant Faust, and he changed me into a vampire," Hogan slowly and carefully answered. Suddenly, he allowed his eyes to become green, and his upper fangs to show._

_Just as quickly, Tiger jumped up from the couch and went to retrieve her gun. "You stay away from me!" she shouted, horrified at the sight that lay before her. "You're one of the undead who needs to drink blood to stay alive! You're a monster!" Hogan could see that tears were rolling down her cheeks, though he didn't know how much of them was related to anger, and how much was caused by sadness._

_Hogan's mind flashed back to what he had told Carter and Newkirk after they had made their way to Colonel Magerlein's house. He didn't realize it then, but he was beginning to learn how much pain being called a "monster" really caused. Slowly, he tried to make her understand one simple truth. "But Marie, I still love you. I would _never _drink your blood; you've got to trust me on that. I would still like to make our relationship work somehow."_

_Hogan gasped as he saw Tiger cock the trigger, and she raised it at his heart. "It's too late for that. How can I possibly be expected to live with a man who might kill me at any moment? Please, get out."_

_Stunned, Hogan tried again. "I love you! Please, don't do this to us. Not after everything we've been through, not after I traveled all the way to Paris to save you."_

_Tiger sighed and began to lower her gun, before she quickly raised it again. "For that, I shall always be thankful. That's why you're still alive—I can't kill a man, even though you're _not _a man, who saved my life. So please, just get out of here before you make me do something I regret."_

"_Marie, please…"_

"_I said get out!" Tiger yelled, brandishing her gun about, though she was still visibly crying._

_Hogan realized that Tiger meant business, but he also knew that she never wanted to see him again. "I'm sorry you feel that way, Marie. I'll be going now." Quietly, and always the gentleman, he added, "I wish you much success and happiness with whoever you end up marrying." Hogan turned to open the door to leave, after he made sure the coast was clear. As soon as he exited her apartment building, he let his emotions overtake him after making sure that there weren't any German patrols around. Sitting down on the steps outside her building, he buried his hands in his face and wept profusely._

Suddenly, Hogan found that he was back in his lower bunk, and he slowly reached a hand up to feel his cheeks. He immediately brought his hand back down to his side once he noticed that they were wet. Getting up from his bunk, he crossed over to his window and stared out of it. _She'll never accept me the way I am now_ he sadly thought to himself. _And I certainly can't blame her!_ he angrily added. Still, Hogan tried to gain control of his emotions as he thought about how to make her understand what had happened to him. _Later today, I'll have Kinch get in contact with her, and let him explain about the kidnapping. Starting at the beginning is always a good way to go._ Then, Hogan found his way back to his bunk and he lay down again. After thirty or so minutes had passed, he was able to fall back asleep into a dreamless, almost comfortable rest.

…

Out in the main barracks, another of Hogan's men found that he had his own nightmares to deal with. Tossing and turning in his bunk, Newkirk's mind flashed back to his past, where he found himself in the late 1700s.

_Newkirk looked around, and found that he was in his small, one-room house outside of Boston. He had moved there after the war, but before he had decided to travel back to England. Dressed in period pajamas, he had just finished his dinner that he had stolen from the local hospital and was sleeping comfortably in his bed. Suddenly, a woman's loud, piercing scream made him jump up. As he immediately recognized what had caused it, worry lines appeared on his forehead. No, not that. Please tell me that didn't 'appen! he thought to himself. He quickly began getting dressed, grabbed his gun and lantern, and hurried out into the dark night._

_Following the smell of blood, he quickly found what he was looking for. Raising his lantern to get a better look, he gasped at the sight that he had come across. A young woman in her late twenties lay on the ground, blood dripping from two puncture wounds on her neck. Looking up, he saw that Hogan, dressed in period clothing, was standing nearby, blood dripping from his mouth. The Colonel's eyes were still flashing green, and Newkirk could see the wave of guilt that was beginning to cross Hogan's mind._

_Reaching out to grab his hand, Newkirk told Hogan, "Sir, we need to get out of 'ere. Now."_

_Looking down at his feet, Hogan absent-mindedly wiped the blood smear from his chin. Looking back up again, Newkirk could see that Hogan had allowed a single tear to roll down his cheek. "I'm glad that I don't have a gun," he slowly said, "or I wouldn't be standing here talking to you. Newkirk, look what I've done! I killed this woman and I drank her blood! I'm a damn monster!" Hogan let his tears fall freely now. "But do you know what the worst part is? At the time I was doing it, I _liked _it," he quietly admitted._

"_Sir, I'll take care of everything, but we 'ave to leave now before any townspeople show up. You made a mistake, but like I said it 'appens to all of us in the beginning. I'll just 'ave to work 'arder with you, is all," Newkirk said, trying to keep calm for the both of them._

_Suddenly, and as if on cue, a small mob had quickly begun gathering around the group. Hogan and Newkirk could see that there was twelve people present, and that nine of them were male and three of them were female. Some of them were carrying guns, some of them had pitchforks; some of them appeared angry, while some others were too fearful. Suddenly, a couple who appeared to be in their mid forties stepped forward. The wife was weeping profusely, while the husband held his gun pointed at Hogan's heart, since he still had his fangs and green eyes showing._

_Immediately, Newkirk realized that he had two options, though he would never follow the first one. He could either pretend to be human and merge into the crowd, standing against his Colonel. Or, he could try to protect Hogan from the angry, vengeful mob. He quickly stood in front of Hogan, ready to fight the last villager to the death if need be._

"_I knew it Martha, but you wouldn't believe me. Didn't I try to tell you that there were vampires in town? Look what they've done to our daughter!" the husband angrily shouted, pointing at the body of the deceased woman._

"_I know what I told you, that vampires were nothing more than old world superstitions." Suddenly, Martha began to rip the crowd into a frenzy. "These monsters have killed our daughter! Kill the vampires!"_

"_Shoot them!" one shouted._

"_Burn them!"_

"_Stab them!"_

"_Let them hang!"_

_Newkirk held up his hands, trying to calm everybody down. "Listen folks, we don't want any trouble. We're not monsters, you 'ave to believe us about that. The Colonel 'ere understands that what 'e did was wrong, and that 'e made a mistake. We know that we can't bring your daughter back. But please, we don't want any trouble."_

"_All you monsters are the same!" George, who was the husband, shouted. "You're all bloodthirsty predators without consciences, sent to wipe us all out! You're monsters, and we know what to do with your filthy, disgusting kind!"_

_Suddenly, before Newkirk could react, George raised his gun and fired it at Hogan's heart, who had stepped in front of Newkirk to protect his corporal. Immediately, the Colonel fell backwards into Newkirk's outstretched hands. "At least I won't be able to hurt any more innocent people," he weakly whispered with what looked like a slight smile, before fading into dust._

Newkirk bolted upright in his bunk, sweat pouring down his face. Getting up, he began to approach Hogan's door so that he could talk about the horrific nightmare that he had experienced. _The Colonel can 'elp me with this nightmare of mine,_ he thought to himself. _The Colonel can…_ Suddenly, he realized the truth. _'E 'as 'is own problems to deal with, and doesn't need to be bothered with mine. I'll talk to Carter about it tomorrow._ Trying to keep his own anxiety down, Newkirk slowly fell back into a troubled sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Private Conversations

Roll call came and went during the morning as usual, with Klink giving some more propaganda news of the war. While most of the other prisoners grumbled about having to listen to the Kommandant's report, five voices remained unusually quiet. Hogan and Newkirk found that their nightmares were still preying heavily on their minds, Carter was still trying to understand why Kinch and LeBeau would have blamed him and Newkirk for their commanding officer's change, and Hogan's other two men felt guilty for the way that they had acted in the tunnels during the previous night. Also, Hogan saw that Carter and Newkirk were true to their words, as the sun hurt slightly less than it had the previous day.

After Schultz had dismissed the prisoners, all of Hogan's men shuffled back inside their barracks, still lost in their own thoughts.

_I need to tell Carter about the dream that I had last night. I need somebody to help me make sense of it all_ Hogan and Newkirk thought at the same time. With that, Hogan motioned with his hand for Carter and Newkirk to follow him inside his quarters, where he quickly shut the door. Hogan plopped down at his desk chair, which he turned around to face his lower bunk, after inviting both men to take a seat.

"Guys, I had the _worst_ nightmare last night. And I mean the absolute _worst!"_ Hogan exclaimed, struggling to control his emotions. "I can't stand the thought of Tiger no longer loving me. I honestly do still love her, with all of my heart and being!" Hogan added, unaware of the fact that he was saying the words out loud. Suddenly, he drew his knees up to his chest on his chair, and let his head drop into his chest.

Carter and Newkirk quickly exchanged looks, before both of them reached out to place a hand on their commanding officer's shoulders. "Sir, why don't you tell us about your dream?" they carefully asked, since they knew that Hogan would be hesitant to share any personal information.

Slowly and carefully, and still fighting to keep his emotions in check, Hogan let his feet touch the ground while he forced himself to look both of his men in their eyes. He began telling them about his dream exactly as he remembered it.

"That isn't going to happen, right?" he finally asked. "Please tell me that isn't going to happen!" he quietly shouted.

"Sir, we're not exactly experts on the matter of love. We have no idea how Tiger is going to react, but like I said yesterday, if she _truly_ loves you, you'll be able to work everything out. I'm sure of it," Carter replied, giving his commander a friendly pinch on the shoulder, before letting his hand fall away.

"But what if she doesn't love me anymore! She even called me a 'monster!" Quietly, Hogan added, "Of course, that's exactly what I am, aren't I? Nothing more than a bloodthirsty monster!" This time, Hogan let the tears fall freely.

Carter and Newkirk exchanged pained expressions, before quickly turning back to comfort Hogan. "Sir, you need to do me a favor. You're _not_ a monster, and I don't ever want to 'ear you calling yourself that again. Do you think you can do that for me?" Newkirk asked, giving Hogan a small smile, which grew slightly wider upon seeing him give a simple nod. At the same time, Newkirk tried to brush aside a small doubt that had begun growing in his mind. _Please don't tell me the Gov'nor is seeing us as monsters again—especially not after everything that we've been through. Of course, that's not the important thing at the moment. If 'e is, I can 'andle it, and I'm pretty sure that Carter can, too. The important thing is making sure that the Colonel still sees the positive aspects about 'imself._

Quickly, Hogan shot Newkirk a slightly suspicious look. "Thanks guys, I needed that. Now, Newkirk, why don't you tell us about your own nightmare?"

Newkirk could only look at his commander wide-eyed. "'Ow did you know I 'ad a nightmare, sir?" He added, "'As the telepathy kicked in yet?"

"I'm not sure. I just sensed that you had a nightmare, that's all." Suddenly, Hogan thought about an idea that had occurred to him before, though he had never voiced it out loud. "Even when I was human, I always was a little psychic, wasn't I? I mean, I used to have all those hunches and intuitions that always proved invaluable on missions, didn't I?" Hogan could see that both of his men were pondering it over for a couple of seconds, before they nodded their agreement.

"But sir, I don't think you should 'ear what I 'ave to say," Newkirk replied. _I don't want the Colonel to get the wrong impression_ he thought to himself. _It was just a nightmare of mine, but 'e might think that I 'ave doubts about 'is ability to control 'is 'unger._

"_Please_, tell me about it," Hogan replied, and Newkirk could hear the pleading in his voice. "I need to feel like I can still help my men." Almost slyly, he added, "Besides, I'm sick and tired of being the one with all of the problems! I'm tired of not being able to keep my emotions in check, so I want to help you with your own!" Hogan shouted, even though he didn't mean to.

"I think you should tell him about it," Carter quickly added. "After all, you know how stubborn the Colonel can be, and I can tell that he's not going to let this matter rest."

"I suppose you're right," Newkirk sighed, slouching over to rest his arm on his leg, head in hand. He remained in that position for roughly thirty seconds, before he quickly straightened up. "But sir, I don't want you to misinterpret this. It was just a nightmare, nothing more." _But it really is so much more_ Newkirk quietly thought to himself.

Slowly and carefully, Newkirk began to tell Hogan and Carter about his own horrific nightmare. He could see both men growing very wide-eyed as the corporal relayed the bad news of what had occurred. As soon as Newkirk had finished, Hogan stood up and walked over to his window, where he rested his head against it with his hands clasped behind him. He remained in that position for a couple of minutes before he turned around, leaning against the window.

"That's going to happen to me, isn't it? I knew it, I knew it!" he shouted, letting a single tear roll down his cheek, before he absent-mindedly raised a hand to wipe it away. "I'm going to kill somebody innocent, aren't I? Also, I don't know about you, but where I come from that's more than just a 'mistake'!" He knew that he never wanted his men to know how suicidal he sometimes felt, so he quietly thought to himself _And it serves those villagers right for what they did to me. I'm just glad that they didn't hurt Newkirk as well._

"Boy Newkirk, that was some dream!" Carter added. However, he quickly stayed quiet after Newkirk shot him one of his _That isn't 'elping, Andrew_ patented, annoyed looks.

Sitting back down, Hogan could only continue to stare at his corporal for the longest time. Suddenly, he tilted his head at a slight angle, as though studying Newkirk under a new light. "Why do I sense that this was more than just a dream, though?"

_Maybe I should tell 'im_ Newkirk thought to himself. _Maybe, just maybe 'e'll understand._ He sighed once before carefully beginning his story. "Well, for starters, it wasn't Boston. It was London, and it concerns Mavis. She was the first and only 'uman I ever changed, but she 'ad a very 'ard time of it at first, controlling 'er own desire and all. She killed a man, just like 'ow it 'appened in me dream." Quietly, he added, "Those were the worst three years of me life."

Newkirk could see that Hogan was stunned, and he suspected that Carter would have been as well if he hadn't already shared this past story with him. "So, you're telling me that you and your sister were on the run for three whole years?" Suddenly, Hogan found that he had become enraged. "Why couldn't they understand that your sister just made a mistake, and that she knew it and felt guilty about it? Why couldn't they just leave you two alone!" Hogan felt that his anger was making his eyes green, and he had to fight to keep his fangs from coming out.

Hogan saw that both Carter and Newkirk were staring at him, wide-eyed. "I'm sorry guys, I didn't mean to yell at you two." Suddenly, a new thought occurred to Hogan, which was a thought that he didn't like in the least. Quietly, he told them, "I've lost my humanity, haven't I? If I hadn't known that you two were vampires, I probably would have stood against you in that mob. But here I am, ready to take up arms against the very kind that I once was—and the same kind that Kinch and LeBeau still are. I would never stand against them, but I practically did that last night, didn't I? I'm becoming more of a vampire every day, aren't I?" Hogan found that the very thought repulsed him, which made him shed his tears freely again.

"Sir, you still have your humanity. Heck, we all do, except that we have it in different ways than we used to. Sure, most humans would never understand why we have to drink blood to stay alive, but you're right about one thing. We're not the ones killing innocent people after we learn to control our desires. Plus, I've done some research on the subject. No slave owner in America or England was ever a vampire. In fact, several Underground Railroad conductors were vampires—I guess they must have understood how it feels to be oppressed just because of what you are or how you look. So, in a way you're right. Who's to judge how much humanity we really have?" Carter asked. He sighed before adding, "But you still have love here, and a conscience here," he said, pointing to Hogan's heart and head. "A _true_ monster is one that doesn't have any of those."

"I didn't know that about the Underground Railroad, though I did ace history at West Point," Hogan replied. Suddenly, a small, sarcastic smile appeared on his face. "Of course, 'Vampires 101' wasn't exactly a subject that was taught at school." Allowing his sarcasm to fade, he added smiling more broadly, "I agree with what you said last. Thank you—I really needed to hear that."

Suddenly, Hogan began rubbing his forehead, suddenly noticing the headache that he had tried to ignore all morning. This action did not go unnoticed by his two men, who immediately knew what he needed.

"Sir, you need to fill your hunger at least twice a day, especially during these beginning phases. Just like all of us, you need your breakfast….Are you ready for your second drink?" they asked at the same time.

Newkirk and Carter could see that Hogan was silent for several minutes, and he kept his head down. During that time, Newkirk sent Carter a silent mind message. _I 'ate seeing the Colonel in this much pain. I don't know 'ow long it's going to take for 'im to accept 'imself like this, but refusing to drink isn't going to do any good. And I know that 'e probably doesn't want us to know about it, but it's not like I 'aven't seen 'is kind of suicidal tendencies before….'E reminds me of 'ow you were when you first came 'ere._

_Please, _don't _remind me,_ Carter silently replied, hoping to drop the subject. _But somewhere, and I don't know how buried it is, the Colonel must still have hope for himself and the fact that he'll learn how to control his bloodlust. After all, the ammunitions room is still as open as it ever was, but he's still here._

Inwardly, both men sighed. They knew that even though Hogan might understand that he could no longer afford to be private, there was still some things that he would never share with his men. They knew that there was some part of him that probably wanted to put a trigger to his heart and then pull it, but they were glad that Hogan wouldn't, or couldn't, perform that action.

After that amount of time had passed, Hogan nodded his head once, though he didn't bother looking up. Suddenly looking up, however, he blurted out, "I suppose you two know what tomorrow is, correct? I _hate_ it! I know how much I used to love them, and I especially remember that one time when we knocked out the radar-detecting truck using those trick candles. But how can I _possibly_ be expected to be happy, in light of everything? I _hate it!"_ he angrily repeated. Quietly he added, "I know that the other guys in the barracks will probably want to do something for me, but I'm not in the bloody mood for a birthday party! I want you two to come up with some excuse. Say I'm still exhausted from the paint job or something; I really couldn't honestly care less at the moment."

Newkirk and Carter sighed, remembering how much they hated their first birthdays after they had been changed. Even now the thought of celebrating life, even though they were technically dead, had always seemed ironic to them.

Carefully, Newkirk spoke up. "Well, you're going to 'ave at least one present tomorrow, provided I can finish it by then. I already found the string, and the beads should be easy to come by. Your bracelet should be ready soon."

"Thanks Newkirk," Hogan quietly said, allowing a very small smile to cross his face. Standing up, he headed for his door. "Well, let's get this thing done and over with!" he shouted, feeling as angry as ever. Inwardly, he found that he was still completely confused. The human in him hated the fact that he knew what he was about to do, while the emerging vampire side couldn't wait to take another drink of the necessary substance. Taking a deep breath, Hogan tried to gain his composure, knowing that at least some of the men in the barracks would be watching him, Newkirk, and Carter heading to the tunnels. Hogan had found that there were three things that were equally hard in his life, and that they often were competing for his attention at the same time. One, he knew how much he would never be able to live with himself if he hurt any of his men, and the nightmares that he sometimes had didn't help his anguish. Two, he had his own confusion about what he was changing into. Finally, he knew that he had to keep up appearances, which meant working harder than he ever had in his entire life to keep his emotions under control when he was in the barracks; not spending too much time in his quarters, even though that was all he really wanted to do; and finally visiting his Kommandant at least once a day, as always, even though it meant spending time outside in the still-painful sun.

Hogan led the way through the barracks, even though what he really wanted was to let Carter and Newkirk take charge. He quickly looked around the room, taking stock of everybody that was in it while fighting to avoid looking at both their necks and their wrists. He also saw that LeBeau had made breakfast for himself and Kinch, and that they were sitting around the common table, enjoying their eggs. Noticing that Hogan and his men were passing, the two other men shot Newkirk and Carter a look. However, it was not one of anger or fear. Instead, it was one full of guilt and remorse over how they had behaved the previous night. They knew that none of the other men in the barracks knew about what had happened last night between the five of them, and that as far as they were concerned, Hogan was still in charge of the team. In fact, only Olsen, and Wilson out of necessity, had learned that there had never been a painting job at Kommandant Brown's Stalag, but not even those two knew what was _really_ going on concerning Hogan and his men at the moment.

Once they were below in the tunnels, Newkirk led the way to the private room that they had set up for their blood drinking, once Hogan and the others had learned of their secret. Walking inside, Newkirk knelt in front of a small safe where he stored the blood, inwardly smiling as his fingers easily turned the numbers on the lock. Opening the door, he reached in for what all three of them needed before closing it again. He handed one bag to Carter, one to Hogan, and one he set on top of the safe for himself. Carter tucked the bag inside his jacket, since he wanted to make sure that his commanding officer would allow himself to drink first before filling his own desire.

_Maybe if I just pretend that this is coffee, the pain will be easier_ Hogan thought to himself. This time, he found that he was able to keep his hands steadier than he had the previous night, and the bag ripped easily. Closing his eyes, he refused to allow himself to think about the anguish-filled act that he was performing. However, his plan to trick himself wasn't working. _I still hate this!_ he thought to himself. _Damn it, doesn't this get any easier? _However, any negative feelings quickly passed out of his mind as his body began to feel the blood's euphoric sensation, and he could feel the liquid rushing throughout his veins, filling his body with satisfaction and pleasure. Once again, he let out a contented sigh, and he quickly finished the entire bag.

However, unlike last night, he found that even though his headache had gone away, his legs were beginning to cramp up. Letting out a slight moan, he bent down to rub them. Looking up, he asked of his men, "I don't understand this! If I'm not hungry any more, why do my legs still hurt? Shouldn't the muscle cramps have gone away?"

Carter shot Newkirk a look, before both men turned back to their Colonel. "Sir, you have a motorcycle at home, right? What was the first thing that you did when you bought it?"

Hogan looked at his men quizzically, not understanding what they were getting at. "I took it out for a ride, so I could see how well it worked. But what does _that_ have to do with anything?"

Carter continued, "Well, think of your new legs as your motorcycle. They're going to hurt until you've properly tested them out. Even we sometimes need to go out for a run just to stretch them, so tonight, we're taking you on your first run." Carter could see the fear that had already begun building up in Hogan's mind. He added, "Newkirk and I will be on either side of you, so you don't have to worry about hurting any German patrols. Plus, we'll be sure to keep the pace down."

"That still doesn't sound like a very good idea. What if my hunger overtook me, and I tried to break away from you? Sure, the patrols aren't exactly who I would consider to be 'innocent,' but I don't want _any_ blood on my hands!"

Newkirk sighed before he placed a hand on his commanding officer's shoulder. "Sir, if you don't go out for a run, your legs are just going to keep on 'urting, until eventually you'll be pleading with us to chop them off just to make the pain go away. We _promise_ that we won't let you 'urt anybody that you come across—you'll going to 'ave to trust us on that. Of course, you should take your dinner right beforehand, to be on the safe side." Newkirk inwardly smiled, seeing Hogan give a simple nod. "Alright, it's settled. Tonight, after roll call, we'll _run_."

…

Back in the main barracks, LeBeau and Kinch had finished their breakfast, and LeBeau was washing the dishes in the sink with Kinch helping him. However, LeBeau had made sure to leave three plates of food out for Hogan and his other two men. Sometimes he wondered why he even bothered, since he knew that they couldn't taste anything other than the sugar that he added to their coffee. Still, he knew that appearances of normalcy had to be kept up, since none of the other men would possibly understand that they were sharing their living space with three vampires. Both of them had remained quiet during their entire meal, as they were still thinking about the shameful way that they had acted the previous evening.

After breakfast, they could see that Hogan and the others had returned to the barracks, so Kinch and LeBeau took this as the opportunity to use the tunnels for their own private conversation. Once they were below, they gathered in another room, and began to discuss how they could repair the damage that they had caused during the previous evening.

"We should not have blamed Newkirk and Carter for changing the Colonel," LeBeau began, as he found that he had to fight to control his own emotions. "I really need to stop being so impulsive sometimes."

"It didn't help to push Newkirk around either. I don't know exactly how the Colonel is feeling, or even what he's thinking at the moment. However, I do know _one_ thing. He has his own problems to deal with, so we certainly shouldn't be adding to them. The last thing we need is to cause a rift or friction in this team, and I certainly don't want that happening under my watch." Kinch sighed before continuing, "I've been thinking about it all during breakfast, and I think I know what we should do to fix this. We need to show them that we still trust them, and that they can trust us. I know about all of the stories that we heard, but at the moment I don't really care about them. If we can't trust Newkirk and Carter, then in my opinion we can't trust anybody. It's about time that they knew what we _really_ are."

Kinch waited for LeBeau's reply, since he knew that the corporal would probably object out of fear or dread. However, LeBeau allowed a wide smile to cross his face, and he reached out to put a hand on the sergeant's shoulder. "Oui, it's about time that they knew. If we can accept them the way they are, they should be able to do the same for us. I only wish that I could tell the Colonel as well, but he doesn't need any more information on top of his confused state."

Kinch replied with a smile of his own, before quickly reaching over to give LeBeau a hug, which the corporal returned. "Then it's settled. Tonight, we tell them about Golden and Loup."

Suddenly, a slight worry crossed LeBeau's face. "But, should we tell them after or before they take the Colonel out for his run? I only heard the ending of their conversation, and they mentioned something about running," he truthfully told Kinch. LeBeau knew that even though he possessed exceptional hearing as a werewolf, he had no right to overhear, even accidentally, a private conversation that had occurred between Hogan, Newkirk, and Carter. Fortunately, the problem of not overhearing what he shouldn't had always been easily displaced if he had made himself think of other things, and he knew that the same was true for Kinch.

"I didn't overhear anything about any running, but if they're going out tonight, I think we should do it afterward. We don't need them thinking about what we just informed them of, especially if they need to take care of the Colonel," Kinch replied. LeBeau simply nodded, since he agreed with his friend's assessment of the situation. Of course, they had no way of knowing that Carter and Newkirk already knew what they were.

Walking back to the barracks, they found that they were looking forward to that evening. At the same time, Newkirk, Carter, and to a lesser extent Hogan, were sharing the exact same sentiments.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Nighttime

Once Hogan had settled back into his quarters, he let himself plop on his lower bunk. He knew that he was still trying to make sense of everything, especially his emotions. Suddenly, a new thought occurred to him. _Great, just great! I bet that Newkirk and Carter think that I'm the biggest cry-baby in the world, especially with how I carried on earlier this morning. I can't _believe _that I allowed them to see me cry! Even though Kinch is still acting on my behalf at the moment, I'm still their commanding officer, damn it!_ It was then and there that Hogan made a vow to himself, that he would and could never allow his men to see him cry in front of them again.

Sighing, Hogan continued his train of thought. _Maybe I should try convincing them that I've accepted this new life, and that everything is fine. I really don't want my men to worry about me anymore._ Taking a deep breath, Hogan tried to make himself believe this new lie. _Fine. Yes, I'm perfectly fine. Everything is as it should be, there's really nothing to worry about._ Yet, the only time that morning that Hogan left his quarters was to partake of the food that LeBeau had saved for him. He dug into his eggs, and found that he could actually taste a small portion of it. He figured that Newkirk, Carter, and Kinch, along with most of the men from the barracks were outside enjoying the new day, since he didn't see them anywhere inside. He also noticed that two empty plates remained on the table, so he knew that his other two men had finished their breakfast. Only LeBeau remained inside, sipping what remained of his coffee. At first, Hogan found it completely surprising that he would be able to taste the eggs, since early on he had learned one simple truth. Every morning at breakfast, he remembered what Carter had once told him about the relationship that exists between vampires and food: "The rest of the time LeBeau might as well be serving us cardboard. But I mean normal people eat, don't they?" At the time, Hogan couldn't possibly imagine having to eat cardboard at least twice a day, though he found that Carter's assessment was completely spot-on.

LeBeau, sensing Hogan's slight confusion, spoke up about how he had prepared breakfast that morning. "I added a light serving of sugar to your eggs this morning, sir. Anything for mon Colonel."

Looking up from his eggs, he could see that LeBeau had his customary smile, since he knew that his Colonel would appreciate the fact that he was trying to make amends for how he had behaved during the previous evening. "Thanks LeBeau. The eggs are excellent this morning," Hogan truthfully replied with his own customary smile.

Suddenly, Hogan decided to do something that he hadn't even thought about being a part of, ever since he had learned that the sun caused him physical pain. Getting up from his finished plate, he walked over to the door and gently opened it, allowing his eyes to become used to the light. Crossing his arms in front of him, he smiled, since he saw that his other three men were participating in a game of volleyball. _I remember how much I used to love this sport_ he thought to himself. _I think I'll take another crack at it._ With that, Hogan closed the door behind him and hurried over to the sidelines, watching the game that was taking place. Fortunately, the day was mostly cloudy, and any light radiating from the sun was kept to a minimum. He could see that Newkirk, Carter, and Kinch were on one team, while Olsen and half of the others from his barracks were on the other team.

Upon seeing their commanding officer, Carter and Newkirk smiled. Looking up, they saw that more clouds were slowly gathering in the noon sky, and they were relieved that the sunlight wouldn't hurt their Colonel. _Of course, if the timing is right, tomorrow it shouldn't 'urt at all_ Newkirk thought to himself. "Sir, you can play on our team if you'd like," Newkirk called to Hogan, beckoning him with his hand to take his place.

"Thanks, I'd like that," Hogan replied, hurrying over to join the game.

As the game went on, Hogan was glad that for the first time since he and his men had escaped from Sergeant Faust, he wasn't worried about hurting or attacking the people around him. However, he tried to make himself think that way, since he knew, or at least thought, that he sometimes found himself staring at the necks of the players on the opposing sides. This only made him concentrate all the harder, and if it wasn't for Carter, he later realized that he might have made a serious slip-up.

After ten minutes had passed, Hogan could see that the ball was heading in his direction, and that it would be an easy point for his side. Hogan got himself in position, and he found that he was determined to make this shot. As the ball came closer to his outstretched hands, he was about to jump up to make the connection, when Carter suddenly jumped in front of him and made the point for him.

Fortunately, everybody's eyes had been on the ball, and so none of his other men, except for Carter, realized that his eyes had turned their burning, glowing shade of green. Pulling Hogan temporary aside, while making sure that none of the other men would grow suspicious by this, Carter quickly told him, "Your eyes, sir. They're green—you need to change them back."

Inwardly Hogan gasped, only hoping that none of the other men had seen his eyes change color. Still, he knew that he wanted to present a relaxed appearance to both Carter and Newkirk, so he calmly shook his head a couple of times, before he knew that his eyes had returned to their normal shade of brown.

"I guess I was so busy concentrating on the game that I didn't notice. Thanks Carter."

"I know. This game was tough for me at first too, but more than your eyes is the fact that you have to learn how to control your new strength. By the look of determination on your face, you would have sent it crashing straight through the barracks wall, and try explaining _that_ to your men."

Newkirk, seeing what Carter had done, immediately suspected what had happened with his Colonel and quickly came jogging over to be at both men's sides. "Well, I can't say that I'm surprised, since your newfound strength will be 'ard to control at first. Fortunately that's one of the easy fixes, since all it really takes is a lot of concentration on your part to remember your 'uman limits." Carefully, he allowed a small smile to cross his face, "Well, at least your arms 'ave gotten a good workout, and our running tonight should take care of the rest for you."

"Thanks guys, but if it's alright with you, I'd like to finish the game. And Carter, next time let me make that shot, alright?" Hogan asked, his usual twinkle shining in his eyes. With that, Hogan walked back to his position, and continued the game as though nothing unusual had occurred.

However, Carter could only look at Newkirk, since he was a little surprised at the behavior that Hogan had shown. _You would think that he would be angry that he had let himself slip up like that. I don't like the looks of this._

_Neither do I. And I'm not just talking about the volleyball game either mate, but it looks like the Colonel is playing a new game. Unfortunately, we may be on the opposing side_ Newkirk silently replied.

…

The rest of the day proved to be relatively uneventful, except that Newkirk and Carter found that Hogan was still acting rather unusual. They figured that he might have cried himself out, but that entire day he didn't shout or yell at them once. Instead, he seemed to give them smiles at every opportunity while repeatedly informing them that he was fine, and had finally adapted to his new life after much soul-searching.

Before any of the men knew it, evening roll call had come and passed, and it was time for their pre-arranged run. Hogan didn't know what to expect, though he noticed that as the hours had passed, the pain in his legs had increased exponentially. He knew that he couldn't constantly rub them while he was in the barracks without arousing suspicion, even though he found that was what he really wanted to do. Still, even when he was in the tunnels with Carter and Newkirk, he knew that he wanted to maintain an appearance of normalcy, so he only allowed himself to when he saw that both men had turned their backs to him, and that Newkirk was opening the safe.

_I really am fine_ he thought to himself, as he gladly took the blood bag that Newkirk handed to him. _This is better than any coffee._ He quickly and easily ripped open the bag, and drunk the entire substance in two swallows. Still, he tried to ignore that part of him, the lessening human side, which wanted to gag after finishing his dinner. Just as Carter and Newkirk had done that morning, they made sure that their Colonel finished his meal before they would allow themselves to fulfill their own desire for the substance.

Newkirk led the way in leaving the tunnels, with Hogan falling behind and Carter taking up the rear. Standing outside, Hogan saw the nighttime in a way that he never had before. His green eyes seemed to be able to see easily, as though he possessed a sort of vampiric night-vision. He noticed that he could see everything as easily as though he was standing outside during the day, and even though it was dark, he realized that he could find his way easily among the trees and the bushes. Suddenly, he noticed the muscles in his legs acting in a way that was completely new to him. They seemed to be bursting with energy, and he could actually feel them thickening and strengthening, building in mass until they seemed to take on a life of their own. Hogan also realized that inwardly, he was still completely confused. Some part of him still wanted his legs to feel as they always had, while another side of him found that he loved how his new legs were behaving, and that he couldn't wait to use them. Looking between Carter on his right and Newkirk on his left, he saw that both of his men had the same desire, to just run all night and not come back until the morning.

"Like I said, sir, since this is a new experience for you we'll be sure to keep the pace down. Of course, maybe one day you'll beat me best time for the kilometer, or mile." Newkirk replied, his green eyes meeting those of Hogan's.

Hogan replied by giving his corporal a sarcastic smile. "I'll have you know that I was in track-and-field at college. My own best time is six minutes and twenty seconds."

Newkirk smiled, and replied as though this had suddenly become a competition between both men. "Two minutes and sixteen seconds. Carter's is three minutes and nine seconds."

The small look of surprise on Hogan's face didn't go unnoticed by Newkirk, which only made his smile grow bigger.

"Well, are we going to stand here and compare times, or are we going to outrun Jesse Owens?" Carter asked, impatiently speaking up.

As though replying, Newkirk and Hogan, with Carter following their lead, crouched down as though they were about to begin the Olympics. "On your count, sir," Newkirk replied, flashing Hogan a rather sly smile.

Then, on the count of three, Hogan and his men took off through the woods. The clouds hadn't dispersed since the morning, but all three of them instinctively knew where to go, as though they had done this a hundred times before even though Hogan hadn't. He found that he truly was enjoying every second of this new experience, and he could feel his own blood rushing throughout his veins as his heart gave the necessary beats to keep up. He could feel the muscles in his legs growing stronger every second, as well as those in his arms, so he began moving them in rhythm with the rest of his body.

"You know, I feel like I could run all night," Hogan informed his men. Sarcastically he added, "How long do you think it would take us to reach Paris?"

"A couple of days, give or take," Carter and Newkirk replied at the same time. Carter smiled, looking at both his Colonel and his best friend enjoying the night. After about ten minutes had passed, however, he could sense that something was wrong with one of his friends. Looking to his left, he inwardly gasped as he studied Newkirk, and he knew immediately what was amiss. The corporal's hands had become as white as freshly fallen snow, and all of the major veins were visible. He also noticed that his friend's eyes had changed from green to grape-purple, and he knew that he would have to tell him before Hogan realized that there was something different about one of his men.

_Newkirk, concentrate! You're showing your true colors!_ Carter silently thought so that his friend could stop his transformation, though he had quickly corrected his glance so that Hogan wouldn't grow suspicious.

Looking down at his hands, Newkirk found that they were completely white. _Blimey! Thanks Andrew. I guess I must 'ave been enjoying meself a little _too _much. I certainly wouldn't want the Gov'nor seeing me as I really am—at least not yet anyway._ He quickly shook his hands, and looking down at them again, was relieved that they had returned to their flesh-color.

Suddenly, all three men heard what sounded like a faint rustling. Carter turned back to face Newkirk, since he suspected that he knew what was wrong. However, Newkirk quickly and silently replied _That noise isn't coming from me!_ Both men quickly made their eyes return to their normal color.

However, before he could finish his train of thought, Hogan spoke up. "I think that noise came from those trees over there. We should investigate—it might be a downed flier." Forcing his eyes to return to their normal color, Hogan slowly and cautiously led his men in approaching the source of the sound, since the last thing he wanted was to become face-to-face with a German patrol. However, the next thing that he noticed slightly horrified him. _Fresh blood_ he worriedly thought to himself, noticing the smell of the liquid. _Please don't tell me that there's been another attack recently!_

Hogan carefully picked up the pace, even though he noticed that the rustling sound had stopped soon after he had first noticed it. He found that his suspicions were correct, and that there were a couple of downed fliers stuck in the trees. However, Hogan found that as he was changing more into a vampire, his sense of smell was evolving all of the time. _Since when does blood have a nationality?_ he thought to himself, since he noticed that the smell was slightly different than the blood that he had recently stolen from the German hospital. _It smells like my own, so these guys must be Americans who were shot down recently._

Quickening his pace, Hogan and his men approached the two downed fliers. "Thank goodness somebody is out here, before those Krauts find us. My name is Sergeant Williams, and Corporal Jones is the other flier who was shot down. He's nearby; at least I hope so because I don't see him. I thought I heard him give a muffled screaming, but I'm not sure to be honest. Do you think you can help us?" Williams asked.

"Of course we can." Hogan found himself studying Williams, and he found that he had to avoid looking at his neck and the blood that lay within. At the same time, there was something about Williams that he found that he could immediately trust, and he remembered how he had felt when he had first seen Newkirk's and Carter's green eyes. _They were downright piercing, as though they were staring into my very soul. Maybe vampires _can _tell a good soul from a bad one. I probably would be surprised, but nothing really surprises me at the moment anymore. Not even if Kinch and LeBeau were werewolves either,_ Hogan thought, thinking about the only men in his team who were purely human.

Suddenly, his mind snapped back into focus. "The name's Papa Bear, and these are two of my cubs. We'll get you down quickly." Then, turning his attention to Newkirk and Carter, he told them, "Go and help Jones. I'll get Williams out."

Newkirk and Carter hurried over to Jones, hoping to find him in the same lively condition that Hogan had found Williams. However, the sight that lay before them completely sickened them. They could smell fresh blood coming from the other downed flier, and as Carter tentatively reached out to feel the man's pulse, he immediately drew his hand back to him.

_There's no pulse. That rustling noise we heard must have been due to another attack, caused by the vampires that the Colonel told us about!_ Carter silently thought to Newkirk, green eyes meeting green eyes, as he tried to keep his panic down.

Newkirk's mind quickly filled with dread as he realized an additional truth. _They must 'ave moved off when they 'eard that we were coming. If we 'ad been 'ere even thirty seconds later, Williams would 'ave been dead as well!_

_Well, we can't just leave him here_ Carter silently replied_. If the Krauts find him, they'll notice that he's been attacked with puncture marks, and there goes everybody's secret. Whoever did this must be new, like the Colonel, or they wouldn't have made such a stupid mistake._

Newkirk silently paced back and forth for a couple of seconds, trying to think of an answer to their predicament. _Normally I would take 'im back to camp, and make sure that 'e got a proper funeral. Or at least as proper as one can give around 'ere. But 'is mate will notice the puncture marks, and 'e'll grow suspicious. But like you said, we can't just leave 'im 'ere. Plus the longer we stand 'ere and think about it, the better chance we 'ave of being discovered by the Krauts._ Sighing, Newkirk knew what he had to do, thought the very thought sickened him. _I know that there's a nearby zoo in the area, so an escaped wild animal is entirely likely….We're going to 'ave to do to 'im what we did to Colonel Magerlein. We're going to 'ave to mutilate the body._

Carter sighed, since he too didn't see any alternative to Newkirk's plan. _The Colonel's not going to be happy about this, but I don't see any other plan. Still, I don't like this, and this entire war! I never thought I would live to see the day when we would have to stage a fake animal attack on a fellow American._ Sighing, Carter resigned himself to what he and Newkirk had to do, and quietly they began their attack.

Fortunately, due to their vampiric speed, they had managed to finish both their thoughts and the staged attack by the time Hogan had managed to cut down Williams. As both men approached Jones, Carter and Newkirk realized that they had finished just in time, and they once again made their eyes return to their normal color.

Turning around, Newkirk spoke up first, "I'm sorry Williams, but there's a zoo in the area nearby. I'm sure you must 'ave 'eard that rustling sound recently? It seems that a wild animal escaped from there, and killed your mate. I'm very sorry."

Newkirk could see that both Hogan and Williams were visibly shaken up, although their Colonel seemed to have an idea as to what had actually occurred.

Taking charge of the situation, Hogan spoke up. "We need to get back to camp before the Krauts find us. I would also like to extend my condolences to you Williams."

"Five planes were shot down, and he and I were the only ones who made it out. I can't believe that he could survive all of that, only to be killed by some wild, escaped animal," Williams sadly replied, looking at the body of his fellow flier. Then, before he would allow himself time to further think about the situation, Williams turned to Hogan. "But, did you say camp? Where are we going?"

"To Stalag 13, the toughest POW camp in all of Germany," Hogan replied, giving the answer that he had countless times before. Still, he found that more than ever, especially after smelling the blood coming from Jones, he had to force himself to look straight at William's face, and to avoid looking at his neck.

"And you expect to get me back to London from a POW camp? That's impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible," Hogan replied. Silently, he repeated the words that he had just spoken out loud to himself. _Nothing is impossible. I don't think truer words were ever spoken!_

Hogan led the way back to camp, which took considerably longer since he and his men had to maintain a more human pace. After an hour had passed, Hogan found that they were situated by the tree stump that led into the tunnels. He smiled as he noticed that Williams, like countless other downed fliers who had come before, was completely amazed at first seeing the tree stump open up and then at being escorted into the tunnels.

Still leading the way, Hogan saw that Kinch and LeBeau were once again situated around the radio, much as they had been the night before. _Well, at least _this _time things should go smoothly_, he thought to himself.

"Kinch, radio London. Tell them that we have a downed flier, a Sergeant Williams, and are awaiting word on when he can be picked up." _The sooner the better_ Hogan thought to himself. _The last thing I need is another damn neck to keep myself away from! _At the same time, he hoped that Kinch wouldn't mind the fact that he was receiving orders, once Hogan remembered that he was no longer acting commanding officer.

"Right away, sir," Kinch replied, picking up his earphones as he began to try contacting London.

Hogan then turned back to Williams. "You can wait here until we can get you out. Our resident chef, LeBeau, will make sure that you're well-fed," Hogan said, raising his hand and turning his body slightly to point it at the corporal. "If you need anything else you can ask me or one of my men."

"No, I'll be fine. I only wish that I could say the same thing for Jones," Williams quietly replied while sighing.

Once Kinch had finished contacting London and relaying his information that Williams would be able to be picked up the next evening, Hogan decided that it was time to turn in for the night. Climbing the ladder back into the barracks, Hogan wished his men a "Good night," which was answered by a chorus of their own. Newkirk escorted Williams to one of the cots that the men had set up in a private room for men who needed to get out of Germany, and after his ordeal, the sergeant found that sleep came easily.

Getting up from his radio, Kinch quickly turned his attention to LeBeau, who had remained where he was the entire time. Putting a hand on the corporal's shoulders, Kinch sighed while he began, "You know that we won't be able to tell them tonight. I was thinking about doing it in the tunnels, but we can't take a chance, not with Williams here. We'll have to wait until tomorrow night."

"Oui, I know. We could never do it in the Colonel's quarters, and there have been too many Bosch patrols in the area lately, so we couldn't do it outside. And here I was, actually looking forward to getting this done and over with," LeBeau replied almost dejectedly.

Suddenly, and without meaning to, Carter, who had been walking past Hogan's two other men on his way out of the tunnels, turned to face them and spoke up. "You mean, that you two are shape shifters, or werewolves? We already know."

LeBeau and Kinch could only stare at Carter, and their expression quickly changed from complete surprise to utter annoyance. Meanwhile, Newkirk walked over to Carter and punched him in the arm.

"You and your big mouth! When was the last time that I gave you a good slugging?" Newkirk asked, the annoyance evident in his voice.

"Gee, so this is what happens to a guy who's only trying to save his friends some trouble. I'll remember that for next time," Carter replied, rubbing the same arm in the same spot where he had been punched in two days. Quietly he added, "I swear this war is going to give me a permanent black-and-blue mark."

Seeing that LeBeau was still annoyed, Kinch took his position as leader and spoke up, "How long have you two known? Why didn't you tell us?"

Trying to keep Carter from making another blunder, Newkirk took over for his friend. "We've known for several months. We were standing downwind at the time, so we knew that you couldn't scent us. We saw you shift by the tree stump," Newkirk truthfully told his friends. He continued, "But I'm surprised that you would ask that second question. Our secrets are our own, so we knew you would tell us when the time was right. The Gov'nor doesn't know, and I don't think this is a good time to tell 'im."

"Yes, we were discussing that earlier today as well. It's bad enough that Colonel Hogan's been changed into a vampire, but he doesn't need any new information on top of his new state-of-being," Kinch replied, as his usual smile began to form on his face.

"Still, I can't believe that you saw us shift…What do you think of Golden and Loup?" LeBeau asked, hoping that Newkirk and Carter hadn't heard the same stories that he and Kinch had about vampires and werewolves not getting along with each other.

"You're talking about those stories, aren't you? We've heard the same ones, and there have been some proven cases. But we're still your teammates, and we've always worked well together. Why should this change anything?" Carter and Newkirk asked at the same time.

"Oui, I suppose you're correct. Merci for being so understanding. Of course, as you must have guessed our condition is hereditary, since we've always been able to control our shifting. Unlike Klink…" LeBeau said while dropping his gaze to the floor before quickly looking up again, referring to what had happened in his office after Hochstetter had left not too long ago.

"Yeah. I mean, how can you be so understanding towards him?" Kinch asked. "He may be one of the nicer Germans in the area, but he's still a Kraut."

"Well, we couldn't exactly let him tear out of his office, ripping everybody into pieces, could we?" Carter asked, slightly incredulous that Kinch didn't seem to have thought of that idea himself. "We know you probably don't understand, but you're going to have to trust us that he doesn't mean any harm." _Of course, I can't exactly tell them that he's Nimrod. That secret should remain his own, and besides, would they even believe me?_ he thought to himself.

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Kinch nodded once before continuing, "Well, he's been a werewolf ever since we've been here, and he hasn't caused us any harm. He's probably picked up on our lingering scents during one of his runs outside the camp, but I've never picked up on his when we were out performing our missions. That means that he has no other proof that we've been able to sneak in and out of camp without revealing to Burkhalter or Hochstetter that he's a werewolf." Narrowing his eyes, Kinch continued, "I suspect that you two are responsible for that?"

"Of course. Fortunately Klink's afraid of the German patrols, so we've always been able to get him to stay inside his quarters on the nights that we knew we had missions. We know how to protect secrets," Carter and Newkirk informed Kinch at the same time.

Kinch allowed a small smile to form, relieved that Hogan's two other men seemed to have the situation under control. "Well, since this matter appears to be settled, I think that we should all get some sleep. Tomorrow's a big day, but I figured that the Colonel wouldn't be in a celebratory mood, so I canceled the birthday plans that the other men were working on. Naturally they weren't happy, but they seemed understanding once they heard that the Colonel was still tired from his painting job at Kommandant Brown's Stalag. Also, I got in contact with Tiger like the Colonel asked me to, and I explained the kidnapping to her. She was very concerned, but of course relieved when I told her that nothing bad had happened." Kinch sighed one last time before finishing, "Naturally I didn't like lying to her, but it's up to the Colonel to tell her the truth when he's up to it."

"Thanks Kinch, for taking care of everything. You know that you make a great commanding officer, but of course we'll be glad once the Colonel's feeling well enough to resume command," Carter replied, placing a hand on the sergeant's shoulder. He knew that Kinch felt the same way by the look in his eyes.

With that, all four men turned to head upstairs and to their respective bunks. While sleep came easily to the other men, Newkirk found that he was tossing and turning as he found that he was still thinking about the fact that he had almost transformed into his true appearance.

_Me mates may accept me as a vampire, but they never would want to work with me again if they knew what I _really _look like. If they saw my true appearance, they would never be able to think of anything else. 'Ow can I possibly explain to them, and especially to the Gov'nor, the changes that a vampire experiences on his 150__th__ birthday of existence? Blimey, I know it may 'ave been twenty years, but I still remember 'ow 'orrified I was waking up that morning, and seeing the changes that I 'ad undergone. I still don't know whether I'm 'ideous or 'andsome, 'aving white skin, visible veins, purple eyes, and all. Plus, that particular ability of mine, that super 'igh-pitched Scream of Death that turns me enemies into dust. I could 'ave used it to kill Faust, but not without causing the Colonel to be driven permanently insane, since 'e was still 'uman at the time. I know that Anne fancies everything about me, but she's even older than I am. It's a good thing too, so that she could 'elp me understand what was happening to me own body. Of course, I 'aven't told 'er yet that I fancy 'er back, but maybe after the war we can go on that date that she's been asking about._ Newkirk sighed as he finished his train of thought. _Well, I know 'ow much the Colonel loves flying. In one 'undred fifty years, 'is white, leathery, seven-foot-span wings will grow in. But 'ow will 'e react once 'e knows that the same things will 'appen to 'im? 'E 'asn't even accepted 'imself as a regular vampire yet, regardless of what 'e may want us to believe at the moment. I know that Carter must 'ave suspected that me wings must 'ave been what was causing that rustling sound at first…. If me mates _ever _see me like that, as I _truly_ am, I just 'ope they remember that I'm one of the good guys, and that I'm not a demon or a monster._ With that, Newkirk allowed himself to fall into an almost comfortable sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: A Glimpse of Things to Come

That night, Newkirk dreamt about something that he had occasionally done in his life. He still didn't know what to think of his wings, even after all these years. Yet, at the same time, he had never been ashamed of testing them out. He knew that there was no feeling in the world quite like soaring above the clouds, of looking down at both the countryside and his beloved London. Sure, there was the occasional frantic witness, and the inevitable headlines that ran in the newspaper the next day: WINGED CREATURE SPOTTED IN LONDON'S SKIES, WINGED CREATURE SEEN AGAIN, and WINGED CREATURES: DEMONS OR ANGELS? Still, Newkirk always had to smile when he read the reports, since he knew that nobody in their right mind _really_ believed them, though one time he did remember having to watch out for a couple of stray bullets.

_Standing outside his house outside of London before the war, Newkirk looked up at the night sky and smiled. The moon was completely covered by clouds, so he knew that while it would be easy for him to see in the night sky, it would be hard for anybody to spot him. Turning around, he kissed Mavis, who told her brother that she had to forego flying that night due to the paperwork that Anne had given her._

"_Do be careful, Peter. We don't need you being shot down, especially after what 'appened last time."_

_Newkirk replied with his customary sly smile. "Always am, Mavis. Don't worry about me, ole Newkirk can take care of 'imself." With that, Newkirk took off his shirt and handed it to his sister. Slowly and carefully he brought his wings out of his back while his entire body turned white, his veins visible even along his chest and back. Whenever he wasn't using his wings, he had the ability to fold them up and make them smaller, yet they were always present, tucked inside his body between his skin and his spine._

_Newkirk looked up at the sky once again, and he could feel his wings flapping behind them, as he concentrated on letting them do the work. Faster and faster, until he could feel air underneath his feet and he knew that he was airborne. Turning around one last time, he blew a kiss to his sister, and then turned back with his full attention focused on the clouds above him. He could feel both the adrenaline and the blood rushing throughout his body, and before he knew it, he was high above the clouds, swooping up and down and zigzagging back and forth above and below the clouds. He could hear London below him and the sounds of the city—the cars honking, Big Ben announcing the hour, pedestrians talking, and he knew that he truly loved his city and would do everything in his power to protect it. While he could feel his wings flapping and hear them rustling behind him, he let his mind wander. "But there's a bloody war on the 'orizon, especially with that Adolf bloke running around Germany. I know that Anne wanted me to join the Army, but I'm glad that she's thinking over me proposal of joining the RAF instead. If I 'ave to fight the good fight, I'd rather it be where I 'ave the chance of working with airplanes. Even just that thought gives me an adrenaline rush—there's nothing quite like being above the clouds." Finishing his thoughts, he could feel a slight tinge of anger building up. He knew that because of Anne's visions, the war was going to take its toll on his country, yet she never gave him any specific details. He wasn't sure whether it was because she truly didn't know or because she was trying to keep him from worrying too much about the future. He only knew that somewhere in the world there was a man named Colonel Robert Hogan, and that someday he would be working for him. Of course, as he would later learn, he could search the world a dozen times over and never find a man quite like his Colonel._

_Looking down again, Newkirk knew that he was over England's countryside, though in the opposite direction from the house that he shared with his sister. He smiled to himself as he could see the top of a rather nondescript barn, one that a passerby wouldn't give a second look at. Yet, he knew full well that Anne was inside, probably putting the finishing touches on her plans for The Angels. "I only 'ope that our side wins this war, and that this Colonel knows what e's doing. I still don't see 'ow it's possible to run an operation of the magnitude that Anne told me about out of a POW camp, but it sounds like a jolly good adventure, so I'm glad that I'm gonna be a part of it."_

Newkirk found that he was still smiling as he woke up, moments before Schultz barged inside the barracks announcing that it was time for morning roll call. Still, remembering where he was, he found that he had a small tinge of worry. _Not even Carter fully understands the rush that I get from me wings, and so I don't expect me mates to understand this at all. Plus the Gov'nor—'e would 'ave a stroke if 'e knew what 'e 'ad to look forward to later on in 'is new life, though I know that it's me responsibility to tell 'im. I will, as soon as I know that 'e can 'andle the news._ Sighing, Newkirk tried to make himself think of other things. _But today is going to be busy enough, since I still need to finish his birthday present bracelet, as well as 'elping the Colonel understand 'is new abilities. Since 'e seemed to 'andle the running well last night—at least, I 'ope so, but that whole business with Jones probably didn't 'elp 'is desire—it's about time to test 'is telepathy. It's a good thing that I finished making those Zener cards yesterday. _(1)

…

Morning roll call came and went as usual, though Hogan was inwardly relieved that there was one major difference since the previous day. Although the clouds had finally broken during the pre-dawn hours, Hogan could feel that his new eyes had finally adjusted to the sunlight, and that he no longer felt feverish whenever he was standing outside. While his Kommandant was giving more propaganda news, Hogan found that a new idea had come to his mind, though he knew that he would never put it to use. _Maybe I _should _tell him what Faust did to me; maybe he deserves to know the truth. After all, it's not like I'm the first vampire that he's met, and it might help to have an impartial voice in all of this. Plus, I don't know how, but I don't think that he was telling me the truth when he said that he had always been able to control his condition. If I was still human I know I would be terrified, but maybe he has some tips on how to learn self-control._ Hogan let out a small, nervous chuckle as he continued his train of thought. _After all, there's a full moon every month, but I've never heard any howling coming from his quarters. If I hadn't seen him transform with my own eyes I would never have believed it otherwise._ Frowning, Hogan continued, and he could feel his anger building within him again: _But he's still a Kraut—sure, maybe a nice one, but damn, how can I possibly tell him what I've become? How can I tell him what that sick, twisted Faust did to me! If Klink had only shown up one day earlier, just one day, this whole mess could have been avoided!_ Sighing, Hogan tried to shake that thought out of his head. He knew that Klink had probably done everything in his power to save him and his men, and that he had no right taking his anger out on his Kommandant. Fortunately, by the time Hogan had finished his thoughts, Klink had finished giving his report and Schultz had dismissed the prisoners.

While Hogan, Kinch, and LeBeau shuffled back inside the barracks, Carter and Newkirk hurried over to the Recreation Hall where the shop class was just beginning its session. The class had proved to be popular among the men of Stalag 13, and so it was usually held at least twice a week for a couple of hours after morning roll call. Both men were determined to finish the bracelet so that their Colonel would have at least one birthday present. As Carter went around picking out what he considered to be the four best wooden beads, Newkirk began setting up the equipment. Taking the string out of his jacket pocket, Newkirk laid it on the table and, after Carter gave him the beads, put on a pair of safety glasses that the class instructor had requested that Klink provide for the men. Newkirk smiled to himself as his fingers easily worked with the equipment, engraving the letters one at a time. Carter sat next to his friend, watching Newkirk's handiwork until he gave him the finished beads.

"Boy, Colonel Hogan's going to like this," Carter said, examining the four words: Control, Respect, Patience and Consequence. "It's good that he's going to get at least one birthday present today." Then, he strung the beads onto the string before tying it into a knot.

"Those are words to live by Carter. Every time 'e sees 'is bracelet, it should 'elp 'im keep control over 'is desire." Turning to face his friend, Newkirk smiled as he continued, "After all, they sure work wonders with me best mate." Newkirk could see that Carter returned his smile, and he knew that his friend always enjoyed hearing Newkirk admit that fact out loud, since it usually went unspoken between both men.

Newkirk quickly put away the equipment, and he and Carter began heading back to their barracks. "I was thinking Andrew, today might be a good time to administer the _test._ I know that the Colonel's been acting fine all yesterday and this morning, pretending that 'e's accepted 'is new life, yet I know that this day is going to be 'ard on 'im. If we can distract 'is mind, even if just for a couple of 'ours, it might make things easier on 'im."

At first, Carter could only look at his friend quizzically, since he wasn't sure what Newkirk meant by "test." Yet, a smile appeared on his face as he began to understand what his friend was trying to tell him. "Do you want me to give it to him, or should you? I think you should, since I've never used those cards before."

"I think we should both give it to 'im. After all, since 'e goes on missions with both of us, 'e should learn 'ow to read both of our minds. Plus, the psychic link will be shared between all three of us now, and I want to make sure that 'e's comfortable thinking and feeling with both of us."

Carter and Newkirk sighed, since they suspected that of all the changes that Hogan was going through, giving up his privacy and surrendering completely to their link would be the hardest change of all. They knew that it was inevitable, especially after Hogan had given them The Gift, so they could only hope that he would realize that this ability, to talk to his men even when they weren't in earshot, was perhaps the most useful power of all.

Stepping inside their barracks, they knew that Hogan was probably inside his room, wanting to avoid the other men and any mention of the dreaded "B" word. Newkirk knocked on his closed door, and only opened it when he heard a distracted "Come in" coming from the other side. Opening the door, they could see that their Colonel was reading a book at his table, and that his mind was completely engrossed.

Speaking up, Carter asked, "What are you reading, Colonel?"

Putting the book down on his table, Hogan stood up and turned around to face his men. "Would you be angry if I told you that I found a copy of _Dracula_?" Hogan didn't know whether or not that was the best reading material for him, especially in his still-confused condition, yet he knew that he would do anything if it meant avoiding the fact that today was his birthday.

"Only if you realize that Stoker's novel is completely fictional, and that you're nothing like the vampire in his novel," both men replied at the same time. They hoped that their Colonel would be able to make the distinction between the two, especially the fact that Dracula was a monster that didn't care who he killed, while Hogan still and would always have a conscience.

Hogan replied in his usual sarcastic manner, "Well, we both drink blood, don't we? I would say that there's at least _some_ similarity between us."

Choosing to ignore that remark, Newkirk spoke up. "Speaking of which, did you 'ave your breakfast yet?"

Hogan nodded, having paid careful attention to the combination on their private safe, and Newkirk could sense that he was telling the truth. "I'm capable of feeding myself without you two present, you know," Hogan replied, though he had to stop himself from being curt with his men.

_Yeah, except lately you've always been 'esitant to drink. We just want to make sure that everything's alright with you, and that if you still 'ave problems accepting yourself the way you are that you can always talk to me or Carter_ Newkirk thought to himself. Still, he knew that he had to respect Hogan's wishes for some amount of privacy, since he didn't need his commanding officer shutting down on either of his men.

Suddenly, Newkirk could see that Hogan's expression of slight displeasure with his men only increased, as he was remembering what had occurred during the previous evening. "That was no wild animal that attacked Jones, was it? I could smell the fresh blood coming from him, though I'm still trying to understand your part in this whole matter," Hogan said, the annoyance evident in his voice.

Sighing, Newkirk looked down before looking up at his Colonel, since he still didn't like the fact that he and Carter had to stake a fake animal attack on the deceased corporal. Quickly, he explained his and Carter's thought process about why they had felt it necessary, and they could see Hogan cross his arms in front of his chest, slowly nodding as he listened to Newkirk's story.

"I still don't like it, you two," Hogan replied after a couple of minutes of silence. Sighing, he continued, "Though I can see how it was necessary." _I just hope they don't expect me to learn _that _skill anytime soon!_ he thought to himself.

Suddenly, Hogan felt his mind snapping back into focus, since he knew that after this second attack things were rapidly taking a turn for the worse concerning the group of bad vampires. He also found that up until he had met Williams last night, he had almost completely forgotten about what White Fox had told him about how Black Dove was found, since he was still trying to control both his bloodlust and his mixed-up emotions. "It's about time that we came up with a plan for dealing with these guys. They're a menace to everybody, Kraut and Allied alike….I don't suppose you can find them the way you found Colonel Magerlein's house, can you?" Hogan asked, looking at Newkirk.

Newkirk sighed before shaking his head back and forth. "We don't know who we're dealing with, 'ow many of them there are, or anything. With Colonel Magerlein it was easy, since I knew the brain patterns that I was searching for. I was able to pick up some very faint ones last night, but not enough to get any sort of definite layout. I do know that there were at least three of them, and like I said, one of them must 'ave been recently changed."

"So, we're basically looking at an evil version of our own little group. _Fantastic_," Hogan replied, the sarcasm dripping from that last word. "But if there were three of them, wouldn't the other two have stopped that recently changed vampire?"

"You mean, the fledgling? That's the proper name for them. Not if they were teaching him, or her, how to hunt," both men replied at the same time.

However, before either man could tell Hogan what they meant by "hunt," they could see that their Colonel was rubbing his head, even though he quickly told them that it wasn't a hunger-related headache. "You mean, some vampires actually sharpen their skills on how to kill people?" he asked, knowing full well what their answer would be so he wasn't surprised when they slowly nodded their heads. _And here I thought learning how to control this desire was dangerous enough!_ he thought to himself.

Sitting back down in his chair, Hogan rested his head in one hand, which was resting on top of his knee. Carter and Newkirk sat down at his lower bunk, and they could tell that Hogan was in his thinking mode, since they always saw that expression of his whenever he was coming up with one of his latest plans.

"Well, normally I would have Kinch contact London or the Underground, but what do we tell them? 'Goldilocks, this is Papa Bear. All is relatively quiet here, but by any chance do you have any information about vampires near Hammelburg? They've become _quite_ a problem lately,'" Hogan replied, the usual twinkle, albeit this time with a slight hint of worry, shining in his eyes.

"I know this isn't what you want to hear, but for now it seems like they have the advantage. We need to wait for them to make their next move, but hopefully this time we'll be better prepared," Carter and Newkirk replied at the same time, both hoping that there wouldn't be any more deaths in the area.

Suddenly, Newkirk drew out a deck of cards that he had kept hidden inside his jacket. "Care for a game of cards, sir? If you're going to 'elp us, it would be wise to build up your mental powers first." Newkirk then took the cards out of the deck, and began showing them to his commanding officer.

Hogan could only look at them quizzically, since they didn't have the usual black-and-red numbers and suits on them. Instead, there were five different pictures on twenty-five cards: a hollow circle, a cross with arms of equal length, three vertical wavy lines, a hollow square, and a hollow star. "What are these?" he asked, looking between the cards and his corporal.

"They're called Zener cards, and were designed by psychologist Karl Zener ten years ago to test for ESP. They can be used for clairvoyance, but in this case they'll be used for telepathy. Me and Carter will take turns picking a card with one of these designs and concentrating on the image. You 'ave to guess which of these five designs is on the card by reading our minds. The normal 'uman rate is 20%, but a full-fledged vampire will always 'ave 100%. Would you like to try?" Newkirk asked. (1)

"Sure, why not? I'll give it my best shot," Hogan replied, though he found that he was still confused. One side of him didn't know how he would pass that 20% mark, even if he had shown a bit of psychic potential while he was human, though the other side felt confident that he could reach 100% on his first try.

Newkirk shuffled the cards and handed half of them to Carter. "Right, so this is the first card," Newkirk said, concentrating heavily on the picture of the wavy lines. "What image do you see?"

"The square," Hogan replied, hoping to see in Newkirk's eyes any indication that he had guessed the correct answer. Even though the corporal's expression remained impassive, Hogan could sense that he had guessed the wrong answer.

Next, Carter asked him the same answer, concentrating on the picture of the star. "Star," Hogan answered, and even though his sergeant's expression remained equally emotionless, he could sense that this time his guess had been on the target.

Carter and Newkirk took turns with the cards over the next hour, with Hogan taking as much time as he wanted before he would allow himself to answer. The entire time he could feel that the slight tingling sensation in his brain had increased, though it seemed to double every time he guessed the correct answer. Eventually, the men had gone through the entire deck, and Hogan waited breathlessly for his men's verdict.

"44% percent," Carter and Newkirk finally answered, mentally counting up all of the correctly guessed cards. "That's impressive for your first time, since you more than doubled the human average. We can try again tomorrow and see if it's increased," they said at the same time while both smiling.

Even though it was nowhere near the 100% that he had been hoping for, Hogan allowed himself to form a smile of his own. He could feel that his telepathy was increasing, and he realized how useful that ability would be on missions with his men. "But for now, I think we should stick with the walkie-talkies. Thanks guys, it really took my mind off of what today is." _Something that I desperately needed_ he thought to himself.

Getting up from the lower bunk, Hogan could see that his men were about to leave his quarters. Newkirk had put the cards back into his jacket, and he took out the second item that he wanted to give to his Colonel.

"I finished your bracelet during wood class earlier today, sir. I 'ope you like your present," Newkirk said, giving his commanding officer the gift that he had made him.

Holding it in his right palm, Hogan smiled as he studied his corporal's handiwork. He remembered what Carter had told him two days ago about what each word meant, and he was grateful that Newkirk had made one for him as well.

"I still think that wearing a bracelet is rather feminine, and you'd know I'd never hear the end of it if one of the men in the barracks saw me wearing this," Hogan replied almost sarcastically, slipping the bracelet onto his right wrist, though with his shirt sleeve covering it. "But thank you; this should help," Hogan finished, though the last thing that he wanted to admit was that he was still having trouble accepting his newfound bloodlust, so he refrained from emphasizing what he meant by that last sentence. With that, Hogan watched as both Carter and Newkirk left his quarters.

…

The rest of the day passed uneventfully, though Hogan was still trying to brainstorm plans with his two men for how to deal with the evil vampires that were running around outside of his Stalag. Carter silently suggested to Newkirk that perhaps they should get Kinch and LeBeau involved, since as werewolves they would be well suited to help solve the problem that the three men were facing. However, Newkirk replied that this would mean telling their Colonel that his other two men were shape shifters, which was a secret that he knew he had no right divulging on his own without their permission. However, he promised Carter that if all else failed, he would be sure to tell them what they were facing. Later that evening, Kinch and LeBeau had made sure that Williams had gotten to the contact that was going to help him get out of Germany and back to London, and this routine mission went over easy enough.

Unbeknownst to any of the men, while Kinch and LeBeau were helping Williams, White Fox was quickly approaching a barn that lay outside of Hammelburg, where he knew that another of his contacts was waiting for him. As he approached the barn, the agent kept his ears and his eyes open, ever-vigilant for any sign of the three men that had kept him from finishing his mission during the previous evening. Seeing that they weren't around, he quietly slipped inside the barn where a certain Corporal Nacht was waiting for him.

White Fox, also known as Patrick Allerton, could see that Nacht was visibly shaken up and annoyed over the events that had transpired during the previous evening. However, once he saw that Allerton had arrived, he turned his attention to the liquid that lay on a table, and began pouring drinks for both men. "It wasn't supposed to happen that way. Colonel Hogan's managing his changing well so far, and I don't believe he would come over to our side yet. It's a shame that he had to show up with his two other men before we could finish the job with that other flyer, and get them both back here. My men are hungry, and they won't wait long for our newest recruit."

"I have faith in Sergeant Metzger's visions. If he says that the Colonel will give into his dark side, especially after the event that will transpire tomorrow, I'm confident that he'll be a good fit for our team. Besides, if he really is Papa Bear, like everybody claims he is, imagine the secrets that he can provide us that will be instrumental in defeating the Allies. Once he's one of us, and away from his two other vampiric men, he'll be more than willing to tell us what he knows," Allerton replied.

"But are you sure the bait will work?" Nacht asked, making sure that at least the first step of their plan had run smoothly.

"Faust told us what he did to the Colonel before his men broke out of their prison and killed him. He told us that they work for Anne, but the Colonel has no affiliation to her. Plus, hearing how inquisitive and stubborn he is, he'll probably take the bait that I told him about Black Dove's demise. Little does he know that he's walking straight into a trap. The rest will follow according to plan, I assure you," Allerton reassuringly and confidently replied.

"Then the Colonel is as good as ours. After that attack tomorrow, he'll probably be so confused and in so much turmoil and anguish that he'll come easily to our side. His two other men think that their tests and running will help him? He'll be glad once he learns that he doesn't have to feel guilty about what he _truly_ is, and the darkness that lies within him. He should be of great help to us," Nacht replied sinisterly.

"Yes, he won't be able to help it. Welcome aboard, Colonel Hogan." With that, Nacht and Allerton clinked their glasses full of blood together, waiting for the day that Hogan would gladly enter into their own organization, Die Schwarzen Engel, or The Black Angels.

(1) Information about the Zener cards, a common experiment used to test for ESP, courtesy of Wikipedia.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: Major Trouble

That night, Hogan found that he was tossing and turning restlessly in his bed. The strain of trying to trick Newkirk and Carter over the last couple of days that everything was fine with him, that he had accepted his new life, was beginning to take its toll on both his mind and his body. For the last couple of nights he found that he didn't have any nightmares, which he found to be a nice reprieve from his inner turmoil. This night, however, was to be completely different.

_Looking around, Hogan saw that he was in Klink's office, though nothing was as it should be. At first he could only see Klink, standing up behind his desk and staring at a sight on the ground, completely wide-eyed and horrified. Looking at his feet, Hogan quickly found that his Kommandant's expression matched his own. He saw that he was looking at himself, performing an act of such unspeakable horror that Hogan couldn't comprehend what was happening at first._

"_No! Stop it!" he shouted at himself, as his Kommandant spoke the exact same words. Reaching over, Hogan tried to stop the act that his other self was performing. However, he was quickly pushed away hard, and he flew backwards against the wall. "I said stop it, and that's an order!" he shouted again, but he knew that his other self wasn't listening to him. Suddenly, the act was completed, and Hogan's other self stood up, a malicious, satisfied smile appearing on his fang-filled face._

"_This can't be happening! What did you do?" Hogan asked his dream-self._

"_Simple. I've done what you've wanted to do all along—and you know that you can't deny it. I've given into your true nature, and you know how much you love it," Hogan's other self answered, blood still dripping from his chin._

"_I would _never _do that! Only a true monster would commit that kind of act!" Hogan replied, as he began to grip his head in both hands, slowly shaking it back-and-forth as though willing that the act had not been committed._

"_You'll see that you can't escape your true nature; you can't escape your dark side. You'll find out soon enough," Hogan's dream-self answered._

Suddenly, Hogan bolted upright in his bed, sweat pouring down his face. _No, I would never do that. I couldn't possibly live with myself if I did that; I don't care how hungry I was._ Hogan thought to himself, trying to regain his composure.

Getting up, Hogan saw that sunlight was coming in through his window, and he knew that Schultz would be barging into the barracks soon, announcing that it was time for roll call. Still trying to keep himself calm and regain his composure after his horrific nightmare, Hogan began dressing into his regular outfit and left his quarters to join the stream of prisoners that had begun filing outside. Hogan shot a quick glance at Carter and Newkirk, since he knew that he could no longer pretend that everything was fine with him. _I've got to tell them about this nightmare. It's too powerful for me to handle alone_ he thought to himself. He found that he was still thinking about it, and hoping that it couldn't possibly come true, that he didn't pay any attention to Klink or Schultz during the entire morning roll call. Just as Schultz had dismissed his prisoners, a familiar car pulled through the front gates of Stalag 13. _Great. Just what I _don't _need_ Hogan thought to himself, seeing the driver getting out of the car and walking over to the passenger door, before opening it and helping Hochstetter get out.

However, instead of marching straight into the Kommandantur's office, Hochstetter turned to approach Hogan. "Colonel Hogan, the Gestapo has some questions for you today. Come with me into Klink's office."

Turning his head slightly, Hogan glanced at Newkirk and gave him a simple nod, since he knew that the corporal would know what he wanted him to do. While Hogan followed Hochstetter into the Kommandantur, Newkirk, Carter, LeBeau and Kinch hurried back into the barracks and then into Hogan's quarters as they began to set up the coffee pot.

Hogan found himself in Klink's office, sitting at the chair that was always situated in front of his desk. He was glad that neither Schultz nor Hilda was sitting at the desk that was situated outside of Klink's office. Subconsciously, Hogan only wished that the Major's interrogation would not take very long, since the last place he wanted to be was where he had found himself during his nightmare. He noticed that Hochstetter was slowly pacing back and forth in front of his chair, which he had ordered Hogan to turn sideways so that they could face each other.

"Now, Hogan, I suppose you know why I'm here?" the Major asked, beginning to snarl.

"Because you're bored and have nothing better to do with your time than to chase after another one of your suspicions?" Hogan asked, as sarcastic as ever. Turning his head slightly, he could see Klink out of the corner of his eye, giving Hogan one of his _Please, Hogan, no trouble with the Gestapo!_ patented looks.

However, Hochstetter chose to ignore Hogan's remark and continue with his interrogation. "No, I am here because a bridge has been blown up in Dusseldorf recently. I suppose you must know something about that, ja?"

"I don't know anything about it, Major. It must be another unit in the area," Hogan truthfully replied.

"Colonel Hogan is right, sir. May I remind you that there has never been a successful escape attempt at Stalag 13?" Klink asked, speaking up.

However, he quickly stayed quiet upon seeing Hochstetter glare at him. "Klink, shut up. You wouldn't even be at this interrogation if the Colonel here wasn't such a follower of the Geneva Conventions."

"Yes sir, shutting up," Klink replied, cowering slightly in his chair.

"Now, Hogan, where were we? Yes, we were discussing how you and your men blew up a strategic bridge in Dusseldorf. I must admit that I had my doubts at first, but the agents that we thought were responsible have proven to be innocent. That, of course, leads us straight back to you."

Hogan shifted slightly in his seat, uncomfortable in the fact that he was being interrogated. _It doesn't help that I didn't have any breakfast this morning,_ he thought to himself. Suddenly, Hogan found that even though he had managed to look Hochstetter in the face during his questioning, he suddenly found that he was studying the Major's neck. Hogan looked wishfully at it for a couple of seconds, before he had to force himself to look away.

Unfortunately, this act did not go unnoticed by the Gestapo Major. "What is wrong, Hogan? Has the great Papa Bear finally broken down? If you confess now, things might go easier on you in Berlin," Hochstetter snarled, inwardly smiling that Hogan seemed to have slipped up this time.

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about," Hogan replied looking Hochstetter straight in the face, trying to keep both his desire and his emotions in check. _Besides, if the Major's blood is as dark as his heart, it would probably make me sick to my stomach_ he thought to himself.

Suddenly, Hogan found that he couldn't spend another minute in Klink's office, as he noticed that he was rapidly losing control over himself. Standing up, he started to approach the door to Klink's office. However, he was quickly stopped by Hochstetter, who, laying a hand on Hogan's shoulder, forcefully spun him around.

"And where do you think you are going, Hogan? This interrogation has only started," the Major said, delight dancing in his eyes at finally catching his least favorite prisoner in the act.

"Look, I think it would be best for all of us if I just leave. Why can't we just leave it at the fact that I didn't, nor any of my men, blow up that bridge in Dusseldorf?"

"For one simple reason—the bridge is nearby to this camp, and whatever Klink might believe, I know that you and your men were the ones responsible for this. Now, sit down and answer my questions!" Hochstetter barked.

Unwillingly, Hogan sat back down in his chair, though he noticed that his palms had begun to sweat. Hochstetter asked Hogan a couple more questions, though Hogan found that he wasn't listening to what the Gestapo Major had to say. All he could look at was Hochstetter's neck, and the fact that he knew what lay within. All he could think about was trying to control his desire for blood, and avoiding the nightmare that he had witnessed.

Standing up again, Hogan tried to leave Klink's office. "I don't feel so good. I need to leave. _Now_," Hogan said.

"You are not going anywhere, Hogan. Now, sit down and answer my questions!"

Suddenly, Hogan found that his desire had become overwhelming. Turning to face Hochstetter, he began to push him about. "Why don't you just let me leave?" he asked, as the rage began to take over. "You may be nothing more than a dirty, lying Gestapo Major, but I don't want to hurt you!"

Hochstetter didn't know what was more surprising—the fact that Hogan had dared to lay a hand on him, or the fact that he was yelling at him. Suddenly, Hogan pushed him on the ground, where Hochstetter landed with a loud "Oomph!" Hogan slowly bent over the annoyed, angry Gestapo Major. However, his expression quickly changed into one of sheer panic and terror as he saw Hogan's eyes turn green and his fangs come out.

"Now you're going to find out what happens to those people who ask too many damn questions!" Hogan shouted.

Before either Hogan or Hochstetter knew what was happening, Hogan quickly and forcefully tore into the Major's neck with his fangs, causing him to emit a scream, and he drew the blood from his arteries as though he was sucking on a straw. He found that the act came easy to him, and he let his instincts take over. Hogan could feel the blood leaving Hochstetter's body and entering his own, and he could feel the warm thickness of the fresh liquid filling his entire body with satisfaction, which only further encouraged him. He inwardly sighed contentedly as he could feel the sheer ecstasy of this act, and he found that he was thoroughly enjoying every moment of it.

Standing up, Klink could only stare at Hogan, completely wide-eyed in utter shock. He didn't know what was more surprising—the fact that Hogan was a vampire, or the fact that he was killing Hochstetter.

Walking quickly around his desk, Klink tried to put a stop to this horrific act of violence. At first he tried pulling Hogan off of the Major, but Hogan reached one hand behind him and pushed Klink away with all of his strength, causing the Kommandant to fly backward across the room into the opposite wall.

Gaining his balance, Klink tried again. "Hogan, stop it! You're killing him! _Stop it!_" However, Klink might as well have been talking to a brick wall for all the good that it did, as Hogan continued drinking from the Major's body. Klink once again tried to pull Hogan off of Hochstetter, but as before Hogan pushed him backward across the room.

After several minutes had passed, Hogan found that he had drunk his fill. Getting up and turning around to face the Kommandant, Klink found that he had to keep himself from fainting as he noticed that blood was dripping down from Hogan's fangs, mouth and chin, and that his eyes were green and wild, as though he was in a drugged daze.

"Now, _that_ was good," Hogan said, as a twisted smile appeared on his face.

Tentatively reaching out to grip both of Hogan's shoulders in his hands, Klink tried to talk some sense into his American counterpart. "Hogan, look down at your feet and see what you've done. Hochstetter is dead, and you've killed him! I don't know or exactly care how you changed into a vampire, but look what you have done!"

Looking down, Hogan could see that the Gestapo Major's eyes were still open, and that they were still frozen in a look of sheer panic and terror. Hogan looked between the deceased Major and Klink several times, as the comprehension of what he had done, and the ensuing guilt, had begun to cross his mind and overrode any lingering desire for blood.

Suddenly, Hogan walked over to the wall where Klink's window was, and he sat down besides it. Bringing his knees up to his chest, he wrapped his arms around himself and slowly began rocking back-and-forth. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he found it impossible to continue controlling his emotions.

"But I couldn't do that! I would never kill anybody!" Quietly, almost inaudibly since the truth was too much for him to handle, he added, "But I did, didn't I? I _killed_ him! _I killed him!_" Looking up at Klink, he fought to keep back the rest of his tears, since he didn't want his Kommandant to see how much pain he was really in. Quickly, Hogan's mind began racing with countless possibilities "Sir, what do we do? His superiors will be asking questions, and then they'll come after my men, and they'll be brought before a firing squad, and, and…I think I'm gonna be sick." Hogan found that he had to both keep himself from hyperventilating and to keep the blood down. Raising a hand absent-mindedly, Hogan began wiping the blood from his mouth.

Slowly and cautiously, Klink approached Hogan. He didn't know whether to be horrified over what had just happened, sympathetic for his inner turmoil, or an even combination of both. Carefully Klink reached out his hand to Hogan, who took it, and he helped the Colonel to stand to his feet.

"Unfortunately, this isn't the first time that I've had to cover up a vampire's tracks, being what I am. If anybody asks you, it was a heart attack and two bee stings. Hogan, I'll take care of everything. Now, please, go back to your barracks, and stay there. I promise you that I'll take care of _everything._"

Hogan found that he had to fight harder than he ever had before to make his eyes return to their normal color, and to retract his fangs. Still slightly dazed over what had just happened, Hogan began to make his way back to his barracks. _I know what I have to do to prevent this from happening again_ he thought to himself.

…

Back inside Hogan's quarters, his men had heard everything that had happened in Klink's office. They could only look at each other completely wide-eyed, hoping beyond hope that what had just happened was only a twisted nightmare that they were all somehow sharing. Kinch had his head down, slowly shaking it back and forth. LeBeau's eyes were as wide as saucers, and his face was completely pale. Carter and Newkirk looked at each other with pained expressions, since they knew that Hogan had lost control over himself.

Quickly, Carter and Newkirk stood up and began heading for the door. "We need to get into the tunnels—_now_," they said at the same time to Kinch and LeBeau.

"But, why? We need to be here for the Colonel," Kinch replied, since he knew that as acting commanding officer he needed to try to keep calm, even though he found that he was shaking on the inside.

"We are. 'E already commited one act of violence, so we need to stop 'im from committing another mistake," Newkirk quickly told him, since he knew that the longer they stayed in Hogan's quarters, the better chance Hogan had of slipping past them and heading into the tunnels before they could stop him.

Carter took the opportunity to quickly explain the rest. "If the Colonel is anything like I was in the beginning, he won't be able to live with himself after this. He's going to try to commit suicide."

Kinch and LeBeau didn't think it was possible for their eyes to grow any wider, yet upon hearing _suicide_ they found that they were more horrified than before. Before any of Hogan's men could speak another word, they quickly opened the door and scrambled down into the tunnels, hoping that they were in time to save their Colonel.

However, the sight that lay before them caused them to be completely aghast. Hogan had beaten them to the tunnels, and had picked up his favorite gun that he stored in the ammunitions room. Not bothering to hide his tears, Hogan found that he had to fight to keep his hand from shaking as he pointed the loaded gun at his heart. Upon seeing his four men approaching him, Hogan stood his ground, resolute in the act that he was about to perform.

"Stay back, all of you! I know what I'm doing and what I need to do!" he shouted, the gun still pointed at his heart.

"Sir, you don't want to do this. We can 'elp you; you need to trust us on that. _Please,_ just give me the gun and we can talk this over," Newkirk said, calmly holding out his hand for Hogan to give him the gun.

However, Hogan could only look at his four men, feeling that he was beyond saving. "There's nothing to talk about. You don't understand, any of you! I lost control of myself and I killed Hochstetter! I drank his blood, and I _enjoyed_ it at the time!"

"Sir, please, you don't want to do this. We can help you, Newkirk and I," Carter said, hoping that Hogan could hear the pleading in his voice.

"You don't _understand!_ Sure, it may have been Hochstetter, but it could just as easily have been one of you! I'm a monster, a bloodthirsty predator, damn it! I lost control over my desire and gave into my dark side! I'M A _MONSTER_, and I need to be destroyed! I swear I'm going to pull this trigger right now, so just stay back, and that's an order!" Hogan said, not bothering to brush aside the still-falling tears while finding that his hand had begun to tremble. Inward, he found that he was more confused than ever. He knew that he didn't want to kill any more innocent people, or even people like Hochstetter, who were the enemy. However, there was still a part of him, however small, that just wanted to throw the gun on the ground and walk away. _No, I need to do this!_ he thought to himself. _It's the only way!_

Carefully, Carter tried to talk some sense into Hogan. "Sir, I know what you're going through and how you're feeling at the moment. Please believe me on that."

"You have _no idea_ how I feel at the moment! You couldn't _possibly_ understand! Just let me end my life and get this _done and over with_!" Hogan shouted, not caring at the moment that all four of his men knew how broken down he felt.

Suddenly, Carter blurted out, "Do you think that you're the first one who wanted to kill himself? I'm living proof that you can overcome this. Don't you know what happened to Sam?"

Hogan shook his head, not understanding or even caring what Carter was trying to say at the moment. "Sure, it was your first mission that I sent you on with Newkirk. You took him to a contact that was going to make sure he got home to Russia. But what does _that_ have to do with anything!" he shouted.

"That's what we _wanted_ you to think, since we couldn't possibly tell you the truth without revealing what we are at the time. The contact was late, and since it was my first mission my nerves were running high, which doesn't ever help one's hunger. I knew that I only wanted to fill my desire, so…" Carter quickly looked down at his feet, remembering the pain that his own act had caused him before looking back up again, slowly adding, "I knocked Newkirk unconscious, and then I killed Sam by drinking his blood. That's how I know _exactly_ how you feel at the moment, and how much you want to kill yourself."

"It's true, sir. Who do you think stopped 'im from putting 'is own gun to 'is 'eart?" Newkirk added while sighing.

Hogan looked from Newkirk and Carter to Kinch and LeBeau, and all three of them were completely bewildered. He guessed that his other two men probably would have carefully moved away, possibly fearful for their own lives, if they didn't have to present a united front in saving their Colonel.

"Sir, you've been in worse situations than this before. Please, just give Newkirk the gun," Kinch told him, and Hogan could see that LeBeau, while still pale, nodded his agreement. _I may be acting commanding officer at the moment, but I could never understand the kind of anguish that Hogan must be experiencing at the moment. If the Colonel feels an affinity for Newkirk and Carter at the time-being, I'm not going to ask for the gun myself_ Kinch thought to himself.

After thirty impossibly long seconds, a shot went off. All of Hogan's men stood there stunned, but they allowed small smiles to cross their faces once they realized what had just occurred. Hogan had moved his gun slightly to his left, and had fired painlessly at his arm. The bullet fell to the floor and lay there, as Hogan looked down at it. Suddenly, before he could fire another shot that might actually find its target this time, Hogan reached over and handed the gun to Newkirk while exclaiming, "Damn it!"

Hogan stood there for a couple of minutes, looking down at his feet with his hands clasped behind him. He knew that as their commanding officer, he had never wanted his men to see him like this—to see how broken down he really was. He had never wanted his men to know how suicidal he felt, and he didn't even know if they could trust him to lead the team once he had _really_ adjusted to his new life.

After voicing that last thought out loud, Kinch placed a hand reassuringly on his commander's shoulder. "We wouldn't be here if we didn't think that you could adjust to everything. And please, I don't want you thinking that you're weak-minded, because that couldn't be further from the truth. I don't know how you're feeling at the moment, since I'm not a vampire, but I can understand why you acted the way you did. Heck, I might even have wanted to do the same thing if I was in your place. But one truth remains; we'll always be here for you—all of us. When you're ready to resume command, we'll know, and we would still gladly follow you to the ends of the earth." Hogan shifted his attention to each of his men, and he could see that they all nodded in return.

Finally wiping his tears away, Hogan could only mutter "Thanks. But now, I just want to go back to my quarters. I just want to be left alone." _Alone. Wanting to be left alone is what started this mess in the first place_ Hogan thought to himself, remembering how he had acted before he talked to Carter and Newkirk in the hospital. He added, "No, I don't. I want Carter and Newkirk in my room." _I just hope that none of them think I'm weak for making that request_ he thought to himself.

With that, Hogan began to leave the tunnels, taking a couple of deep breaths to regain his composure though he knew that he probably wasn't fooling anybody. Making his way through the barracks, he was relieved that none of the other men gave any indication that they had heard what had happened in Klink's office or down below in the tunnels. Opening his door, Hogan plopped down on his lower bunk, and he didn't bother to hide the fact that he just wanted to curl up into a ball and fall asleep, not facing his men, though he was glad that they were present. Newkirk and Carter leaned against his table, while Kinch and LeBeau waited outside at the common table. After twenty or so minutes had passed, Hogan found that sleep came easy after his emotional ordeal. However, when he rolled over in his sleep, Newkirk and Carter could see that their Colonel was crying in his dreams.

_We're going to 'ave to work 'arder than ever before with the Gov'nor, especially since 'e's taken 'is first drink from a 'uman. 'E may want us to think that e's fine at the moment, but we'll need to make sure that 'e's never tempted to repeat the act. Thankfully the guilt 'as already kicked in_ Newkirk thought to his friend.

Carter sighed before replying, _I know. These next couple of days are going to be the hardest for him. But the important thing is that we'll be right here, and we're never leaving him. I don't care if the war ends tomorrow and our camp becomes liberated. We're going to be right here for the Colonel, and we're not leaving him._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Sorting Through the Consequences

"Three dozen and one."

Two hours had passed since Hogan had fallen asleep, and Carter and Newkirk were still in his quarters leaning against his table, ever watchful and protective over their Colonel. His abrupt speaking slightly startled them, so they could only ask, "Sir?"

Hogan was still lying on his lower bunk with his back to his men, too ashamed to face them at the moment. "You once told me that between the two of you, you've killed three dozen people." Inwardly sighing while biting his lower lip to keep from crying, Hogan continued, "But between the three of us, that's three dozen and one."

Newkirk could only look at Carter, sending his friend a pained expression over seeing their Colonel in so much anguish. _And 'ere I thought we might actually be making real progress with the Gov'nor, but it looks like we're back to square one_ Newkirk thought to his friend_._ "Sir, it's not your fault, it's like I…"

However, Newkirk was cut off by Hogan suddenly sitting up in his bed, turning to face his men. He quickly shot them an expression that clearly read _Are you crazy?_ "Let me guess what you want to say. You're going to tell me that it happens to _all _vampires in the beginning, that they always kill at first because they can't control their bloodlust, aren't you?" Suddenly, Hogan's expression changed to one of complete anger, his green eyes shining. "But I'm the Colonel, the commanding officer, damn it! It's my _job_ to be stronger than that; it's my _job_ to keep a rein over my emotions and my desires! Do you two have _any_ idea how horrible that feeling is, to be able to do neither? I should probably just demote myself down to private." Quietly, almost inaudibly, he added, "But I suppose I let Faust do that for me, haven't I?"

Carter and Newkirk both sighed at the same time, since they suspected what their Colonel wanted to say. "But you're not. We know how you're feeling at the moment, but please don't say that Faust demoted you from a man to a monster," they replied at the same time.

Before Hogan had a chance to personally correct them, Newkirk quickly asked, "Sir, where are you?"

Hogan could only look at his corporal with equal amounts of annoyance and confusion. "I'm here, in my quarters. But what does _that_ have to do with anything!"

Reaching out to place a hand on Hogan's shoulder, Newkirk continued, "And why?"

It was then that Newkirk's line of questioning began to make sense, so he brushed his corporal's hand away. "Because I gave you the gun so I couldn't kill myself. But that only proves how weak I am, and that I couldn't carry out what was necessary."

At first, Hogan's last sentence startled both Carter and Newkirk, since they knew that Hogan wasn't bothering to hide the fact—or perhaps couldn't—that he still harbored suicidal thoughts. "Is that what you really believe?" they asked at the same time, hoping for an answer that would indicate otherwise.

Sighing, Hogan continued. "I honestly don't know guys. It's like there are two parts of me, and I'm not talking about the conflicting vampire and human within me either. One side is hopeful that I can adjust to this, but the other side…" Quietly, almost inaudibly, he continued, "the other side just wants to give up."

Suddenly, Hogan got up from his bunk and began pacing back and forth, his hands clasped behind his back, not bothering to look at his men. "I hate him! I didn't think I was capable of feeling such hatred towards anybody, not even Burkhalter or Hochstetter, but I genuinely _hate_ Faust! He took away everything from me—my life, my career, my future family, everything!"

"Not everything," Carter and Newkirk cautiously replied at the same time, knowing that they had to correct their Colonel. Hogan stopped in his tracks, and turned to face his men. "He didn't take away your conscience, or your love, and most importantly, he didn't take away us. We'll always be here for you, and we're going to help you adjust to this."

"We just need to work 'arder, that's all. _Really_ 'arder," Newkirk added.

Hogan sighed before he allowed the faintest of smiles to cross his face. However, he continued pacing, shaking his head back and forth. "But I meant what I said, that it could just as easily have been one of you. And those damn nightmares! If the first one came true, how do I know that the second one won't?"

Carter and Newkirk exchanged quizzical glances before Carter carefully spoke up, "What nightmares? Would you care to talk about them?"

Hogan nodded once, but it seemed to be directed more towards himself than any of his men. Stopping and turning completely around to face Newkirk, he asked, "Tell me—how do Anne's visions work?" _Are they always this troubling?_ he angrily thought to himself.

"She always 'as them in 'er dreams, and 90% of the time they come true. The only time it didn't is that she thought you were working with the Army, and not the Air Force. They're always random, 'owever, and she can't control when she 'as them. Why do you ask?"

It was then that Hogan began telling Newkirk and Carter about the horrific nightmare that he had experienced before he killed Hochstetter, about how he had seen his dream-self killing the Major in the exact manner that he had. "That was a vision, wasn't it?"

"That depends. It could be coincidence, or it could be that you're one of the vampires powerful enough to 'ave them. Me and Carter 'ave never 'ad them, but you've always been slightly psychic, so it wouldn't surprise us." _Except, you're not even a full-fledged vampire yet, and Anne didn't 'ave 'er first vision until she 'ad been completely changed for a couple of months. Of course, she 'ad always told me that she didn't 'ave any psychic potential while she was 'uman, so that might explain some things_ Newkirk thought to himself.

"But what's the use of having them if you can't do anything about them! I _saw_ myself killing Hochstetter, and I couldn't change the future—I couldn't stop myself! All I cared about was fulfilling my own selfish desire for my own satisfaction and pleasure—all I cared about was getting that 'fix' of blood, and I didn't care how!" Suddenly, Hogan's expression changed from one of fury to absolute worry. "But that second nightmare, the one I just woke up from. How do I know that this one won't come true?" Hogan stayed quiet for a couple of seconds before he sat down on his lower bunk, sighing and looking away before he could tell his men about the second nightmare that he had just woken up from. "It was horrible. I was back in Klink's office, and I was looking between Hochstetter laying on the floor and Klink. But every time I turned back to look at the body, it wasn't him. It was one of you guys—all four of you bleeding from the puncture marks on your necks, eyes wide in panic and terror—all dead! I couldn't live with myself if _that_ one came true, if I was the one who was responsible for your deaths!""

Hogan could see that even though Carter and Newkirk had to be the strong, calm presences at the moment, they were slightly shaken up by the second nightmare that Hogan had told them about. "We won't let you do that, we _promise_. We'll make sure that you won't hurt any of us. In time, you'll learn that you control your desire, your bloodlust—_not_ the other way around" they replied at the same time.

"What—you mean the ten years that it took _you_?" Hogan asked, shooting Carter an angry, verging on distrustful, look. "You said that you were changed in 1933, and yet you still killed Sam nine years later. Now, if you were in _my_ place, how do you _think_ I should take that news?"

Carter could only look down at his feet, before quickly looking up again. "Not very well, I suppose. Would it make you feel better if I told you that he was the last human I killed though?" Carter asked, hoping that he sounded as optimistic as he wanted to.

However, Hogan could only reply, "Just a little, but not really. But I remember that you said that Newkirk was the only one who taught you how to control your desire, so perhaps it won't be as long for me." Suddenly, his face softened as he added, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Carter asked quizzically.

"For everything that you must have gone through, that you must have felt in those ten years that you were on your own. Here I am, not even being a vampire for two full weeks, and you were completely on your own for all that time." For the first time since the previous day, Hogan could feel a real smile forming on his face, "I don't know when, if ever, I've said this, but you're a strong man Andrew. Certainly much stronger than I am at this damn moment."

Hogan could see that Carter slightly blushed at his use of his first name, before he added, "But I don't want you to forget, sir, that you have your own strength also. You're still _you_, you know. You're still our commanding officer, you're still our Papa Bear—you're still our Colonel Hogan."

However, Carter could see another expression in Hogan's eyes, one that was equal parts sad and hopeful."No, I'm not any longer. Newkirk."

"Yes sir?" Newkirk asked, speaking up.

Hogan sighed, before continuing. "I've been thinking about this for a while. Like I said a couple of days ago, Colonel Hogan is dead. He no longer exists!" Hogan shouted, still remembering the anguish and turmoil of no longer being who he once was. "But Colonel Edward Andrew Newkirk does. I want that to be my new name, much as your current names are for you."

Newkirk and Carter allowed themselves to form small smiles. They suspected that Edward must have been Hogan's middle name, as evidenced by the "E" that was shown on his bomber jacket. At the same time, they had strong suspicions over why Hogan wanted to use Carter's first name and Newkirk's surname for his own. "Is it because we're 'elping you?" Newkirk asked.

"You're the only two who are. Sure, I know that there's Kinch and LeBeau, but you're the only ones who have _any_ idea how I'm feeling at the moment. Which is still _extremely_ lousy, I might add!"

"We don't expect those feelings to go away in one day. They're not Rome, you know," Carter replied, hoping that some humor would help lighten the mood that was hanging over Hogan's quarters.

Tentatively, Newkirk spoke up. "I suppose I should tell Anne this. I contacted 'er while you were asleep, and she said that she would be more than 'appy to 'ave you as part of The Angels. After I told 'er what Faust did to you, she immediately accepted you as an one of 'er agents, but of course she knows that you're still working for London." Quietly, he added, "She sends 'er condolences."

Hogan nodded once, before standing up and heading for his door. Taking a couple of deep breaths to regain his composure and make his eyes return to their normal color, Hogan turned around and told his men, "There's something that I need to take care of. It's not right that Klink should have to clean up my mistake for me."

"But he told you to stay in your barracks," both men replied at the same time.

With the slightest hint of the usual twinkle in his eye, Hogan replied, "Yes, but he didn't say how long. But do me a favor—I don't want anybody listening in on us. Understood?" Hogan could see that both men nodded their agreement to his request before he left his quarters.

…

During the time that Hogan had been sleeping, Klink had quickly called up the local hospital to send for an ambulance to come to his Stalag, saying that Hochstetter was in his office suffering from what appeared to be a heart attack. He knew that the other prisoners would grow suspicious once they saw the paramedics wheeling the Major out, and that news would travel quickly among the men, so he had issued an announcement that the Major had collapsed from a heart attack. _Besides, with the way that he's always carrying on about Hogan, it's a wonder that he didn't give himself one _months _ago_ Klink thought to himself.

Back inside his office, Klink was busy pouring himself his second glass of wine, as both a means of trying to steady his nerves and to forget what had just occurred. _There can only be one explanation for all of this. I don't believe Carter or Newkirk would ever change Hogan, unless he was dying, and I know that there aren't any other vampires in the area. Faust must have done this to him, that dirty Gestapo!_ Suddenly, Klink remembered a promise that he had once made to himself, before Eagle had set off on his rescue mission: _As long as I have Eagle by my side, and we're working with each other, not against one another, I _promise _that no serious harm will come to any of them. _Finishing his second glass, Klink quickly poured himself another. _I should have traveled that entire night, like I had originally thought, instead of staying in that hotel. Maybe I would have been in time to prevent Faust from changing Hogan. Maybe this is all my fault! Hogan deserves to know the truth_ he thought to himself as he was about to swallow the third glass. However, he could see that somebody was opening his door out of the corner of his eye, so he quickly put the glass down.

Sighing, Hogan tried to regain control over his emotions before he continued walking into Klink's office. Cutting to the chase, once he was inside he quickly shut the door behind him before asking, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

_You've done quite enough, Hogan!_ Klink shouted to himself, standing up behind his desk before walking over to Hogan. However, he could only shake his head back-and-forth. "Like I said, I've taken care of everything. I cleaned up the blood from the puncture marks as best I could before I called the hospital. Of course, there's still that," he said, pointing to a dried blood mark that had dropped from the Major's wound onto the floor. For the most part, it was small enough that if a person didn't know it was there or to look for it, it would have gone completely unnoticed. "Unfortunately, one of the medics saw it and asked me about it. I told them that the Major was about to drink some wine that I had offered before the attack started, and that he spilled his glass onto the floor. They know that Hochstetter had come into my office ranting and raving about you and that bridge in Dusseldorf, so they believed it when I said that he must have given himself cardiac arrest, but that you weren't even in the room at the time….Of course, only you and I know what _really_ happened." _Plus, your men must have been listening in on the attack also, since they listen in on everything else_ Nimrod thought to himself.

Sighing, Klink began to admit, "You know that if you hadn't killed Hochstetter, I would have, once he saw that you were a vampire. In a way, you saved me a lot of trouble."

Klink could see that Hogan had a quizzical expression on his face. "You were trying to prevent me from killing him, but I pushed you away twice. I don't understand." _Why didn't I let you stop me!_ Hogan angrily thought to himself, though he refrained from voicing that thought out loud so that Klink wouldn't know how much inner pain he was in.

Placing a hand on Hogan's shoulder before quickly removing it, Klink knew that he would have to explain himself further. "Hogan, this _is_ Hochstetter we're talking about. You can't believe that he would just leave in one piece, even if you hadn't started your attack and everything would go back to normal, do you? No, he would have come back later today or tomorrow with more agents armed with enough stakes and silver bullets for everyone. I wouldn't have been the least surprised if he had decided to become a Hunter after this, chasing down more of his prey. After all, as I'm sure you know you must _never_ share your secret with those who you can't trust _completely_."

"So, you trust me?" Hogan asked before thinking. "After all, you transformed into a _wolf_ to kill Faust. Why would you do that for us—to share your own secret with three of your prisoners?"

_Well, we spies, especially those of the supernatural variety, need to stick together for one thing_ Nimrod thought to himself. "Yes, I trust you. I knew then that you knew what Newkirk and Carter were, and that if you could accept them the way that they are, then you might be able to do the same for me….Before you ask why I wanted to help you, the answer is simple." Sighing, Klink continued, "You know the truth, don't you?"

Hogan could sense what Klink was trying to get at. "That you haven't always been able to control your condition? Yes, I know. Don't ask me how, because I'm not sure, but I know that much."

"Then you should know that I see myself in you. I know how hard it was to control my other side at first, how hard I had to fight to bring Eagle under my will. I'm sure I've done some horrible things in my own time during those years, though I don't remember. After all, have you ever heard of the traditional werewolf who _didn't_ kill people?" Klink asked, looking away as he remembered his own horrific past before quickly correcting his glance.

Hogan could only shake his head, before asking, "I need to know how you did it. I need to know how you brought your wolf Eagle under control. _Please_, tell me!" Hogan asked, unable to hide the pleading in his voice.

"It was mostly concentration. Every month I would try to stop the transformation, but it never worked. I would still lose control over both my body and my mind, and I would always wake up in the strangest places in the country—often with a dead, mangled animal nearby. So, I changed tactics to just trying to control it. I wanted to make sure that even if I was forced to transform, that I would at least be able to keep my human mind and not hurt anybody that I might come in contact with. It seemed to work, because for a couple of months I didn't transform at all." Sighing, Klink knew that Hogan deserved to hear the entire truth, since he wanted to help his American counterpart learn his own self-control. It was then that he told Hogan what had happened the last time that Hochstetter had come to Stalag 13, and how he had given into his anger and the usual outcome that losing control over his emotions always caused. Finally, he told Hogan how Newkirk and Carter had managed to save him from himself.

At first, Hogan could only look at his Kommandant with a horrified expression, since he knew that Klink might still pose a danger to him and the other prisoners at any given moment. The expression quickly turned into one of understanding, however, as Hogan replied, "Then, it seems like we're both in this together, still trying to learn how to control ourselves. I'm glad that my men were able to help you, much as they've been helping me."

"Corporal Newkirk and Sergeant Carter are good men, Hogan. Don't forget that," Klink replied with a slight hint of his usual smile.

"I won't," Hogan replied, smiling. Turning to leave, Hogan glanced over his shoulder before adding, "Like I said, if I can help in _any_ way, please don't hesitate to tell me. I'm sorry that I left you to clean up my damn mess, so thank you."

Sighing, Klink knew what he had to say next, though he knew that it would pain him to admit the truth. "Hogan, wait. There's something that you need to know." Klink watched as Hogan turned around, waiting for what his Kommandant had to say. It was then that Klink told him about how Eagle had almost traveled through the night right before he had saved Hogan and his other men, but had decided to stop and rest to gather both his strength and wits.

Hogan's eyes turned green, before he angrily replied, "So this is all _your_ damn fault, isn't it? If you had stuck with your original instinct, I might still be human and Hochstetter might still be alive!" Sighing, Hogan tried to make himself think rationally, "Of course, at the same time Faust might have killed you, so where would that leave Carter and Newkirk? As bloody piles of dust, that's what! I don't know whether I should thank you or hate you at the moment—it's going to take me some time to get used to this new truth." Before he stormed out of Klink's office, however, he quietly mumbled, "Thank you."

As Hogan angrily walked back to his quarters, forcing his eyes to return to their normal shade, a new thought came to mind. _It's not like me to say "bloody"—that's always been Newkirk's word. Yet, I said it without even thinking about the fact that I was saying it. Maybe the psychic link has already started between us. And the next thing I know, I'm going to be calling Carter "mate."_

…

Even though Kinch and LeBeau had initially been sitting around Hogan's table, by the time Hogan returned to his barracks they were nowhere in sight. Instead, they had gone below to the tunnels to engage in a private conversation, even though that was the last place they had wanted to be after they had found Hogan holding his gun.

Sitting down next to his friend, LeBeau sighed before he decided to share his feelings with his friend, though he didn't bother to look at Kinch. "I don't think we can trust him."

Kinch immediately suspected who the corporal was referring to, so he could only look at his friend in slight dismay. "You mean the Colonel, because of what just happened? I don't know about you, but I meant what I told him. In time I'm sure he'll adjust, and he'll be ready to resume command."

However, LeBeau could only shake his head before correcting his friend. "Non—I don't think we can trust _him._"

"Well, who else do you mean if you're not just talking about the Colonel?" Kinch asked quizzically.

LeBeau turned his head to face his friend, with a slight hint of fear showing in his eyes. "Carter. You heard what he admitted to, that he killed Sam. What if he had wanted to kill us in the beginning too? What if there's still some part of him that does?"

"He doesn't. If he had, do you think we would be sitting here right now? Louis, he's our friend, and he's always had our backs on both our missions and here at camp. Besides, it took us long enough to trust them again after they told us what they are, so I don't want to see us going backwards….You know, in a way they're better men than we are. We became angry and fearful towards them when they told us they were vampires, and we downright snapped at them when we saw what the Colonel was changing into. Yet, they've completely accepted us as werewolves and haven't thought twice about it."

Sighing, LeBeau replied, "Oui, I know. Sometimes I think that we shape shifters are some of the most impulsive, distrusting creatures around."

"Or maybe it's just you," Kinch replied sarcastically, to which he received a punch in the arm from his friend.

"Oui, maybe it is. But no matter what, we still need to be there for the Colonel. It might help him if he knows that we're more than just human. I think we should tell him about Golden and Loup, maybe as early as tomorrow."

"That might be a good idea, or it might not. We need to see how he's feeling tomorrow, but I agree that we've waited long enough. We _should_ tell him, and soon."

With that, both men headed back into the barracks, waiting for the time that they knew their commanding officer would be able to accept the truth about themselves.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: Darkness and Love

Back inside the barn, Sergeant Metzger woke up from his latest afternoon dream-vision with a twisted smile on his face. He was pleased that Hogan's attack on Hochstetter had come to pass, as he had foreseen, so this next dream was even better. _I know that we may have been on the same side in this war, but what is one Gestapo Major when we can have the vampiric Colonel Hogan on our side? The darkness has already begun to consume him—he's having trouble controlling his bloodlust, lashing out at his two men with his conflicted emotions, and feeling true hatred for Faust is exactly what he needs to complete the transformation from hero to villain._ _Soon, he will become one of us, and later, he will help us to defeat the Allies once and for all, especially since his secrets as the supposed Papa Bear will help undermine from within…. Of course, if we can get one of his men to turn sides with the Colonel, so much the better. After all, no vampire can resist the call of his sire. As for his other man, well, the Colonel will take care of him, as my vision has shown._

Walking out of his bedroom, Metzger could see that another of Die Schwarzen Engel, Corporal Amsel, was preparing for his mission that night. "Are you ready for phase two of our little plan?" the sergeant asked the corporal, with a sweet, sickly smile.

"Yes, I am. I'm aware of the fact that Hogan and his men must be running low on blood, and that they'll need to visit the hospital tonight to steal more nourishment. Of course, they picked the wrong night to visit," Amsel replied sinisterly, as he draped his doctor's coat around himself. "After all, the Colonel knows what Allerton looks like, and I'm positive that at least one of his men must have picked up some of his and Nacht's brain patterns as well after that botched attack on the two flyers. But fortunately, none of them have any idea what we look like. Thus, our two-step plan should work perfectly. One: Keep him and his men away from the blood room in the hospital as long as possible."

"And the second step is where I come in," Metzger replied. "As the youngest vampire, Colonel Hogan will become desperate for blood _extremely_ quickly after their supplies run out, which is when we let him 'accidentally' infiltrate us."

"Finally, his mind will be like putty in our hands," both men replied at the same time.

With that, the good doctor began his journey to the local hospital to take his shift, preparing to guard the blood room with his second life.

…

Back inside Klink's office, the Kommandant was busy trying to deal with his paperwork, though he found that it was almost impossible to concentrate. Even though two hours had passed since his American counterpart had gone back to his barracks, Klink found that something was still weighing heavily on his mind. _It's not like Hogan to be so angry, and though we may be grown men, I can't remember the last time, if ever, he's used the word "damn." I should talk to Carter and Newkirk and see if everything's alright with him._

Putting aside his paperwork for the time being, Klink got up from his desk, walked towards and opened his office door, and began making his way to Barracks two. He still wasn't sure how he would explain to Hogan that he wanted to speak to his two men without arousing suspicion, but at the moment all he knew was that he wanted to help the Colonel. Fortunately, both men were leaning against the barracks wall right next to Hogan's window, who had decided to take another nap after he had come back from Klink's office, as he found that his emotional ordeal was beginning to make him feel exhausted. Newkirk was visibly smoking and Carter was sneaking a couple of drags every time he noticed that nobody was watching him, and both men periodically looked into Hogan's quarters to make sure that he was still sleeping soundly. Fortunately, they could see that this time he wasn't crying, but instead seemed to be sleeping peacefully for once.

However, Carter quickly extinguished his cigarette when he saw that Klink was quickly approaching them. Taking a quick glance to his right and left, Klink could see that nobody was in earshot so he began to express his concerns. "I noticed that the Colonel seemed to be rather on edge when he walked into my office earlier today. Is there something wrong with him that I should know about?"

Newkirk sighed before speaking up, "We figured you might want to speak with us, sir, which is why we're out 'ere instead of in the Gov'nor's quarters. Actually, the Colonel is behaving like 'e should, especially 'e's still adjusting to 'is new life. Most vampires find it 'ard to control their emotions in the beginning. And their bloodlust too—the Colonel told us what 'appened to 'Ochstetter." _Of course, I'd rather not trouble Klink with the truth about 'is emotions_ Newkirk thought worriedly to himself.

"Yeah—it couldn't happen to a nicer guy," Carter mumbled, though he knew that Klink would be able to make out what he was saying.

"Normally I would throw you in the cooler for thirty days for that sort of comment, Carter," Klink glowered angrily while moving his fist in his usual frustrated manner. "But that's not what concerns me at the moment. I just want to make sure that everything's alright with Hogan and that if he or you two need any help I'm always in my office."

At first, Klink's admission of wanting to help Hogan came as a slight surprise to Newkirk, because even though all three men stood up for each other, this was the first sign that Klink had given of wanting to help Hogan as well. He knew that appearances as Kommandant had to be kept up, but at the same time, Newkirk knew that Hogan was now part of their group.

"Well, there is one thing, sir. We're running low on blood, so we were wondering if you might 'ave any more for us? After all, you 'aven't given us any since we all came back from Faust's 'ouse, and now that there's three of us the supplies are going quicker than ever," Newkirk replied matter-of-factly.

Klink told both Carter and Newkirk that he did have some in his private safe in his bedroom, and that he would try to get more from the local hospital that night. However, he always had to wonder at the slight irony of Hogan's two men coming to him for their blood, when he knew full well that they were capable of sneaking out of his Stalag and traveling to the local hospital. _In a way, I actually wouldn't mind if they knew that I was Nimrod_ he thought to himself. _Having all these secrets sometimes takes its toll on a person, and this war has been dragging on for months. The sooner it's over and the sooner I can tell Hogan, the better._

Leading the way, Klink began walking back to his quarters, knowing full well that Carter and Newkirk were following behind him. Inside his bedroom, Klink crouched down in front of his safe, and he quickly took out and gave his men what they needed.

"This should help Hogan," he replied, carefully handing Newkirk the last of the canteens. "Without arousing his suspicion, I was able to find out from Wilson that the Colonel has a B+ blood type. I don't know what kind he's been feeding from, but I remember you telling me that vampires usually prefer the same type that they had when they were human." _Maybe this will keep him from killing any more Gestapo agents who show up at this Stalag_ Klink thought to himself in a half-worried, half-hopeful fashion.

Turning around to leave, both Carter and Newkirk stuck the blood bags inside their jackets. Looking over his shoulder, Newkirk replied with his usual smile, "Thanks Nimmy."

Newkirk could see that Klink was slightly shaken up, though he wore his usual smile on his face. "Newkirk, the name is Klink. I think you should know that by now." Inwardly, Klink was completely baffled. _This isn't good—or is it? How do they know?_ Suddenly, Klink thought back to how Newkirk had first approached him when he had learned of Klink's secret. _I never told him that I was a werewolf—he confronted me about it instead, since he read my mind. Maybe that wasn't the only thing that he picked up on?_ Suddenly, Klink felt that he was growing more nervous by the second. _That can only mean that they've known all along—or have they?_

While Klink was thinking his thoughts, he noticed that Newkirk had turned around to face him, though Carter seemed completely surprised by everything that was taking place. _I thought you didn't want Klink to know that we knew he was Nimrod?_ Carter thought to his friend.

_Well, say something!_ Carter thought to Newkirk, while Klink thought to himself at the same time.

After an impossibly long minute, Newkirk spoke up, "Well, you admitted it yourself sir, that you wouldn't mind if we knew your secret—Nimrod."

"So you're not only a thief of material items, you're a thief of thoughts as well!" Klink shouted, though he knew that his anger was only a way of covering up his inner relief that he was finally able to get that secret off of his chest. "Is there anybody's mind that you _haven't_ read?" he asked angrily of them.

"Well, there's the rest of me mates, and the Colonel is still developing 'is telepathy, so there's 'im," Newkirk replied to Klink's hypothetical question. "Of course, I know better than to tell 'im until after the war, especially since 'e doesn't need any more information until 'e's adjusted to 'is new life."

Klink then turned his attention to Carter, who was still trying to make up his mind if it would be in his best interest to act surprised by Newkirk's admission. "How long have you known, Carter? I want you to be completely honest with me," Klink replied, though his expression had begun to soften from his earlier anger.

As Carter explained his worries that had crossed his mind while he was locked in Faust's cell, and how Newkirk had told him about Klink's other secret, the Kommandant retained an impassive expression. Finally, after Carter had finished telling his side of how he knew who Klink was, there was another minute of silence before the Kommandant spoke up.

"I still don't know if I like that you two know who I really am, though I see that you have enough sense at least not to tell Colonel Hogan until after the war. Of course, you realize that appearances still have to be kept up," Klink finally replied while heavily sighing.

"We understand, of course" both men replied at the same time. With that, Carter and Newkirk left Klink's quarters, and began walking back to their barracks.

_I still don't understand why you would tell him that we knew his secret_ Carter quizzically asked of his friend.

_Yes, but that was before we learned that there were bad vampires in town. Think about it—they killed both an Underground agent and a downed flier, so it's safe to assume which side they're working for in this bloody war. We still don't know 'ow many of them there are, so we might need Klink's 'elp on this one. As a Kraut 'e would probably be delighted that there are vampires working for the Axis powers. As Nimrod, 'owever, 'e would be more likely to lend us 'is support—especially now that 'e knows that we know who 'e is_ Newkirk replied.

_I suppose that makes sense_ Carter admitted. _But what about Kinch and LeBeau? I assume that Klink doesn't want us telling them either, which is certainly understandable. Though we may need their help in dealing with these guys, and how will Klink explain his support then? Peter, from the looks of things there's a storm coming, and this may be just the necessary calm._

Both men looked upwards, and they could see that there wasn't a single cloud in the sky. However, Newkirk knew full well what Carter was referring to, and he knew that his best friend was correct in his assessment of their problem. _Plus, the Colonel's stuck in the middle of it all. I know that 'e wants to 'elp, but this could prove to be too much for 'im in 'is condition. Of course, once 'e makes up 'is mind about something, no amount of persuasion is going to convince 'im otherwise. The only thing I'm sure of at the moment is this—we still need to protect 'im, and make sure that no 'arm comes to 'im. I don't know what would 'appen to us and the operation if these vampires killed 'im, since 'e doesn't know 'ow to fight as one yet. Or worse… _Newkirk replied while rubbing the back of his neck, unable to finish his worried thought.

_You mean, if he was to turn to the dark side? Peter, please—we can't afford to think like that! I mean, he's certainly not a Kraut-lover, but…_

_But we both know that it's a possibility, especially after what 'e did to 'Ochstetter. Plus, it's been over a week—'e should 'ave learned 'ow to control 'is emotions by now,_ Newkirk replied, still rubbing the back of his neck while he looked over at his friend, who wasn't bothering to hide the obvious worry in his eyes. He knew that as the oldest vampire of the three, it was his job to always be the voice of reason, the one to hold everybody together. Thus, he knew that he could never tell his friend that he shared his worry—that things might actually be hopeless in keeping their commanding officer on the straight and narrow.

Suddenly, right before both men were about to walk inside their barracks, Newkirk's eyes flashed a brilliant shade of green. _Oh, bloody 'ell! It's going to be over me dust that we lose the Colonel to 'is true nature. I don't care if we 'ave to go to the ends of the earth and back to protect 'im, or if I 'ave to show my "true colors" to 'im before I know that 'e's ready, but we bloody well are going to protect 'im!_ Newkirk swore with steadfast and fierce determination before he made his eyes return to their normal shade.

Just as Newkirk and Carter walked back inside their barracks, they could sense that their Colonel was no longer sleeping, and that Kinch and LeBeau were nowhere in sight. They figured that Hogan's two other men were down below in the tunnels, or perhaps were out enjoying the fresh air. Stepping inside Hogan's barracks, they could tell that Hogan was sitting on his lower bunk, with his legs drawn up to his chest and his arms wrapped around himself.

Before either of his men had a chance to ask him how he was feeling at the moment, Hogan took the opportunity to speak up. "There's one thing that I _need_ to know—it's very important to me! I need to know if she'll still love me. I need to know whether I'll still have a wife." Hogan sighed before continuing, "I need to prove that damn nightmare of mine wrong!" Hogan shouted, remembering his dream where Tiger had clearly told him that she never wanted to see him again. Finishing his thoughts, Hogan told his two men, "I told Kinch to contact her. I'm going to see her _tonight_."

Carter could only look at Newkirk, hopeful that his Colonel knew what he was doing. Turning back to face Hogan, he asked, "Are you sure about that?...Would you like us to go with you?" Carter asked, knowing full well that the first question wouldn't change Hogan's mind since he seemed determined to follow through on his meeting.

"No, I don't need your company on this—I need to do this on my own!" Hogan angrily replied, though he instantly regretted yet another outburst of his. "I'm sorry you two, but this is a personal matter for me—for the both of us. I need to know if she'll be able to accept me the way that I am now. I'm going tonight, and you two know how stubborn I can be," Hogan replied while sighing, with only the slightest hint of the usual twinkle in his eye.

"Sir, before you go, we need to know one thing. What was the blood type that you stole from the hospital?" both men asked at the same time.

"The bag said that it was O+, but what does _that_ have to do with anything?" he angrily asked of them.

He could see that his men responded by Carter making a visible face of disgust, while Newkirk responded, "O+? That stuff's bloody _nasty_! No wonder you've been drinking a lot lately."

"Well, _some_ of us happen to bloody like it, mate!" Hogan quickly retorted, before inwardly gasping. _Am I changing into a vampire or an Englander?_ he asked of himself, as completely confused as ever.

However, Newkirk and Carter could only respond by smiling. Reaching out to shake Hogan's hand, Newkirk replied, "Welcome to the link, sir. This is a necessary step, and we're glad to see that it's finally beginning for you." He added while giving Hogan the blood bag that Klink had given him, "But please—try this. It's your own blood type, and we think that it will better fulfill your desire."

"At this moment I'm willing to try just about anything," Hogan calmly stated, trying to keep control over his emotions. "Thanks Newkirk. But you should hold onto this for now, unless somebody besides the four of you walks in here and sees me drinking this. Save it for my dinner," he said, giving the bag back to his corporal. Hogan knew that the quicker nighttime approached the better, since he found that he was extremely apprehensive as to how Tiger would take the news.

…

Hogan sighed as he knew that nighttime had finally approached, and his arranged meeting with Tiger was about to take place. He knew that he loved her—he always had and he always would. Still, he was extremely hesitant, as he knew that she deserved to hear the truth about what he had become. _Will she accept me for what I am now?_ he thought to himself. _I barely accept what I've become—how can I possibly expect the same from her?_ Getting up, he found himself looking out of the window that was in his quarters, before silently making his way out of his door, through the barracks and down into the tunnels.

As he was about to leave the tunnels, he caught a quick glimpse of Newkirk and Carter out of the corner of his eyes, who were in the same private room where Newkirk kept his safe. His eyes flashed green as he saw that they were drinking from their cups, and he knew only too well what substance they were partaking of. Since he had no desire to accidentally hurt Tiger, he walked into the room to fulfill his own desire for the blood by taking his dinner. Moving quickly but silently, he filled another empty cup and drank the substance in one swallow. _It's still not very easy for me_ he thought to himself, though he found that Newkirk's hunch had been correct and that the B+ provided an even higher dose of euphoric feeling than the other types that he had drunk. He could feel himself closing his eyes to fully enjoy the sensation of the blood rushing through his veins, and he let out a noticeably contented sigh. Opening them, he noticed that Newkirk and Carter were staring at him, but that their expressions were soft, almost sympathetic. He felt that although they still couldn't read his mind, they knew exactly how he was feeling, and that he was still as conflicted as ever about his feelings toward blood.

"Are you positive that you don't want us to go with you, sir?" Carter asked his commanding officer.

"Thank you, but this is something that I have to do for myself, on my own," Hogan replied gently to his sergeant, finding that he had to fight extremely hard to keep control over his emotions.

"We understand, Gov'nor…Best of luck," Newkirk wished his Colonel.

_I still don't think it's a wise idea to let the Colonel do this on 'is own, but I 'ave to admit that when it comes to matters of love, there are some things that should remain private_ Newkirk quickly thought to his friend.

Sighing, Hogan poured himself another half-glass of the substance before he left the tunnels, after making sure that his eyes had returned to their normal color. _I only hope that I don't hurt her—especially not after what I did to Hochstetter recently. I need to make sure that I don't cause her any harm!_ he thought to himself_._ The Colonel quickly yet carefully made his way to her apartment, always keeping a sharp eye out for any German patrols that he might encounter. Once he had reached her apartment and was safely inside her building, he made his way to her floor and gave the secret knock that he had arranged with her, to let her know that it was him. Upon hearing it, Marie went and quickly opened the door, allowing Hogan to enter her apartment.

_Where on earth do I begin?_ he thought to himself, making sure to keep his emotions in check. _How can I make her understand the truth without scaring her away?...I suppose it would be best to start with the basics._ Gently taking her hands in his, he began to tell her the truth. "Marie, I have something that I need to tell you. But I think we need to sit down for this."

"Oui, mon amour? What is it?" she said as they both made her way to their couch. As he followed her, Hogan noticed that she had seemed to put on a little weight around the middle.

Sitting down, Hogan let go of her hands, and slightly turned away. "There's something that I need to tell you—something that you deserve to know. I already had Kinch tell you how Sergeant Faust had kidnapped me and two of my men…" Hogan allowed himself to sigh, as he knew what he needed to say next. _Here goes nothing,_ he thought to himself. "But what I never told you, and I'm not even sure if you'll believe me," Hogan added, remembering how skeptical he was in the beginning about hearing what Carter and Newkirk were, "is that Faust was… a vampire. He changed me into a vampire also." Inward, Hogan found that this truth still pained him, though he would never allow Marie to see him crying.

Marie loudly gasped as Hogan turned back to face her. She saw that his eyes had turned a definite shade of green, and that his upper fangs were showing.

"A vampire? But that is impossible! Vampires simply don't exist!" she exclaimed.

"Unfortunately, they do. They're as real as I am, sitting on this couch with you." Hogan sighed again before continuing, "I still love you—I always have and I always will. I know that your decision is your own, but I'd still like to make our relationship work somehow." _Please don't let her act the way that she did in my nightmare!_ he silently prayed to himself.

Now, it was Hogan's turn to be startled as he saw that Marie allowed a small smile to form. She gently reached for his hand, and placed it on her stomach. Hogan grew wide-eyed as he felt a small kick from within. "Do you feel that, mon amour?...I am pregnant with our children, and I have been for three months. The doctor says that I am having twins, and that one will be a boy and one will be a girl."

Hogan found himself growing even more wide-eyed at Tiger's announcement, if that was possible, and he quickly did the math in his head. "Three months? We have met each other after that—did you know that you were pregnant then?"

This time, Marie allowed herself to sigh. "Oui, I knew."

"Then why didn't you tell me? We always said that if this happened, you would let me know as soon as you found out the good news."

It was then that Hogan noticed that Marie's eyes began to mist, and a single tear rolled down her cheek. "I was afraid, mon amour. I knew that if we got married and lived together, you might discover the truth…I have not always been truthful with you, and for that I am truly sorry. But I thought that you wouldn't accept me and my secret."

Marie noticed that Hogan suddenly had a quizzical look on his face. "What secret is that? We've always been so frank with each other—why would you keep something from me?"

Tiger allowed herself to sigh as she began to inform Hogan of her own secret. "You see, my mother was attacked when she was two months pregnant with me." She noticed that Hogan's expression was suddenly one of both anger and fear. "It is not quite like that—no human laid a hand on her. Still, she passed her…condition…down to me. In a way, I am almost relieved."

"Relieved? That I'm a vampire? I'm afraid that doesn't make a lot of sense," Hogan replied quizzically. _This isn't at all how I had expected her to act. She's not fearful, or angry. She's not brandishing her gun at me, or yelling at me to get out of her apartment. This just doesn't make sense_ he thought to himself.

Even though Marie had stopped crying, she still found herself heavily sighing. "I didn't want you to know that I was pregnant, because at one point I had even thought about returning to France and staying there, and raising our children on my own."

"I still don't understand—and now you're starting to worry me. Whatever secret you have, we can work it out together. Besides, what about your work with the Resistance?" he asked her, still as confused as ever.

"My children will need their mother, especially as they grow up to help them understand everything. I couldn't possibly do both—at least, not on my own." Taking a deep breath, Tiger told Hogan her own secret, the one that she had kept hidden from him all these months. "I know Sergeant Kinch told me that you were kidnapped by this Sergeant Faust fairly recently, so, judging by the timing, the boy will be human…but the girl will be a werewolf."

Hogan gasped upon hearing his beloved's news. "A… _werewolf?_ Is that what attacked your mother?" Even though he knew that his own Kommandant was also a shapeshifter, he had to feign some surprise so that she wouldn't grow suspicious. "But werewolves don't exist!"

"As you said yourself, they are as real as I am sitting on this couch." She quickly added, "Would you like to meet the _real_ Tiger?" Hogan could only nod, still completely wide-eyed. Marie excused herself and went into her bedroom, closing her door, but not all of the way. Hogan could hear her muffled screaming, which didn't surprise him since he knew that the transformation was a painful one. Still, he couldn't hide his amazement as he saw the grey wolf Tiger nudge the door open with her nose, and quickly walked up to him, her tail wagging vigorously. Slowly, Tiger began to lick Hogan's hand, who was still sitting on the couch. She seemed almost humanly relieved as Hogan slowly allowed a small smile to form on his face, before she abruptly turned away and went back into her bedroom. A couple of minutes later, Marie reappeared, and sat down next to Hogan.

"I… I don't know what to say," he managed to get out.

"You don't have to say much," she told him, gently holding onto his hand again. "Only that our children will have their father."

At this, Hogan allowed a broad smile to form on his face. "We'll work out the details later, but in the meantime, yes! Definitely yes!" They quickly fell into a passionate hug.

Suddenly, Marie whispered into his ear. "But do you think we're still…compatible?"

Breaking away from her hug, Hogan looked down at his watch. "We still have four hours until roll call." He nodded with his head towards her bedroom door. "There's only one way to find out."

They both smiled as they made their way to her bedroom, and closed the door all of the way.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven: News

That night, Anne found that she was back in the barn that she used for her new headquarters. She found that this one was stuffier and smaller than the other barn that she had used before the war, though she realized that one was no longer safe. She couldn't take the chance of another infiltrator finding her headquarters, much as Faust had once done, so she had made sure to either destroy or transfer any incriminating evidence that he hadn't stolen about any of her agents. _At least things are coming along well in putting The Angels back together, and these remaining months should fly by_ she thought to herself. She was also glad that unlike Carter and Newkirk, none of her other agents' names had been leaked, so she knew that their secrets were still well-guarded. _I only wish that their names being leaked 'adn't led to Colonel Hogan's subsequent death and changing. If I 'ad foreseen this, I certainly would 'ave 'ad time to warn them. I know that the Colonel will serve me will as an agent, but it must be very 'ard for 'im at the moment. 'E is no longer who 'e once was, and 'is transition must be extremely 'ard on 'im—much as it was for all of us in the beginning. I can only 'ope that 'e 'as learned 'ow to control both 'is emotions and 'is desires by now, because losing 'im to 'is darkness would be unspeakable!_

As the hours slowly crept into the morning, Anne knew that she would have to stop and rest for the night before picking up the pieces of putting her headquarters together. So far, she had slept peacefully, even though sometimes she still had nightmares about what Faust might be doing to two of her men, even though he was deceased. As she settled into her bed, she found that sleep came easy, though the dreams were troubling.

_At first, she could see only darkness around her. Suddenly, somebody turned the light on in a room, and she could see that Hogan, Carter, and Newkirk were there, along with several vampires that she didn't recognize. Hogan and his men were on one side of the room, with the other men standing on the opposite end._

"_You know what you have to do, Colonel, if you wish to become a part of us. That is what you want, isn't it? After all, if your men truly cared about you, then they would want you to be happy, without later feeling guilty about it. You _were _happy when you were killing Hochstetter, weren't you?" Metzger asked, knowing full well that he had Hogan exactly where he wanted him._

"_Yes, I was," Hogan replied, and Carter and Newkirk found themselves gasping as Hogan's green eyes took on an expression that they had never seen before. They were wild and dazed, as though he was beyond comprehending anything other than the feelings that Metzger was feeding him._

"_You would like to be happy again, wouldn't you? If you destroy your men, I can personally guarantee that you won't have any more conflicted emotions, any more guilt, anguish, or torment over what you are experiencing. I can guarantee you eternal satisfaction and pleasure—and you know how much you want it," Metzger sinisterly replied._

"_I do," Hogan replied. Before any of his men could react, Hogan quickly reached out a hand towards them and grabbed both of their throats in his hands, pushing them against the wall. "If you were _really _my friends you would want me to feel happy! You would let me be who I _truly _am, which is a bloodthirsty predator. No—you're trying to turn me into a "humane" vampire, who doesn't kill people, innocent or not. The blood from the hospital bags are cold and stale, but those from a human are warm and thick. I _know_ what I _want_!" Hogan replied, allowing his upper and lower fangs to emerge._

_Even though they could feel themselves becoming faint, Newkirk tried pushing his commanding officer's hand off of him, which he was able to succeed in doing. "Colonel, please, you don't want this. They're tricking and brainwashing you. Please—we can 'elp you. Come 'ome with us, and we'll make everything better." Carter quickly nodded his agreement, having also pushed Hogan off of him._

"_Liars, the both of you!" Hogan angrily shouted._

_Behind him, Metzger, Amsel, Nacht and Allerton were standing with their arms crossed; all four of them wearing sweet, sickly smiles on their faces. They knew that Hogan had finally given into his dark side, and that he was one of them._

"_Sir, stop!" Carter shouted, immediately before Hogan's hand once again grabbed him and Newkirk by the throats. Before any of them knew what was happening, Hogan leaned in close to his corporal's neck. Newkirk found himself screaming as Hogan drank from him, drawing the blood from his body. After a couple of minutes, Hogan let his corporal fall to the floor._

Waking up in a cold sweat, Anne found herself trying to understand whether the dream that she had just experienced was a nightmare or a vision. _No, it can't be!_ she worriedly thought to herself. Shaking her head back-and-forth to try to clear the vision from her mind, she knew that she couldn't waste any time in informing her two men what she had just witnessed. _What's worse is that I don't even know the final outcome. Did the Colonel kill one of 'is men, or did 'e only injure 'im? Whatever the case is, I 'ave to make sure of one thing—we can't afford to lose the Colonel to 'is true nature!_

Her back still positioned against her pillow, she immediately tried sending a mind message to Newkirk. She had never tried contacting him while he was asleep, which she suspected he was judging by the lateness of the hour. However, she felt that she couldn't waste another minute.

…

Back inside the tunnels, Newkirk found himself nervously pacing back and forth, waiting for the minute that his Colonel would come back after his arranged meeting with Tiger. Kinch and LeBeau had long since gone to bed, or so he suspected. He could see that Carter was sitting down nearby the radio, though he would occasionally get up to pace before forcing himself to relax again. However, Newkirk couldn't help but overhear his friend's thoughts. _We can't afford to lose him! It would be the end of our operation, the end of helping London and the Underground, but most importantly, the end of the Colonel's life as he knows it. If he thinks that this is bad enough, he should see how it is to give into his darkness. Plus, if he ever comes back to his old self and learns he spilled his secrets to those bad vampires, he'd never be able to forgive himself. He would definitely want to commit suicide after that, but would we even be around to stop him?_ Carter paused for a couple of seconds before thinking, in a semi-annoyed fashion. _I trust that you share these feelings, Peter? I suppose you can't let a person worry by himself, can you?_ Carter felt himself sighing, since he knew that Newkirk was probably sharing the exact same sentiments that he was. He didn't wish to admit it, but he felt that he had no other choice. _I haven't been this scared since Anne informed us that our names were leaked. What do you suppose we should do about this?_

_We 'ave to be there for the Gov'nor, for one thing. We 'ave to 'elp shake those suicidal thoughts from 'is mind, and realize everything that's still good about 'imself. 'Opefully 'is meeting with Tiger will be a positive one. But 'e better 'urry—it's almost time for roll call, and while Klink may be on our side, appearances in front of the other prisoners still 'ave to be kept up. 'E would still 'ave to send out the guards and the search dogs, and in the Colonel's condition that's probably the _last _thing 'e needs_ Newkirk replied to his friend.

Suddenly, Newkirk could feel a fuzzy sensation in his brain, and he suspected that Hogan's telepathy had finally fully kicked in, and that he was trying to contact him, so he temporarily stopped his pacing. Thus, he was a little surprised when he heard Anne's voice on the other end instead. As she described her horrific dream to him, Newkirk could feel his face becoming flushed and his hands becoming clammy. After she had finished the details, Newkirk turned around to face Carter, and he proceeded to give his friend the details of what she had told him. As he relayed her information to him, he could see that his friend's expression was quickly matching his own.

"But it can't be!" Carter finally shouted, standing up to begin pacing anew. "We can't lose the Colonel- we just _can't_! Plus, once, or even if, he was to snap out of it, if he really did kill you he would never forgive himself! Peter, this is bad," Carter replied, and he found that he had to keep himself from fainting.

…

Unbeknownst to any of his men, Hogan was making his way back to his camp, still thinking over what Tiger had just told him while trying to keep control over his emotions. _I still don't know what to think about all of this, though I can certainly understand why she would have been hesitant to tell me her secret. After all, neither me nor the rest of my men took Carter's or Newkirk's revelations well at first, so her fear is certainly understandable. _As Hogan thought about the rest of the information that Marie had given her, he felt a broad smile cross his face. _I can't wait to tell the guys the good news! Marie is pregnant, and with twins, no less! At least that's one thing that damn Faust didn't steal from me. I promise that my children are going to have the best father that I can be, and that I'll always be there for them. I may not understand everything about being a werewolf, but I'm going to help my daughter with both her condition and her shifting. _As he continued his thoughts, Hogan couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. _I imagine that my son will have the hardest of it all. After all, it's not every boy that has a werewolf as both a mother and a sister, and a vampire for a father. At least I know that he'll be tolerant of other people's differences._

Suddenly, as Hogan was half a mile from camp, he could hear some rustling coming from the distance. As he was thinking to himself whether it might be more downed fliers or a German patrol, he could see two shapes rapidly approaching him. Before he had time to find cover, he could feel his eyes growing wide as he noticed what appeared to be two extremely large dogs, though to him they looked more like wolves. _But wolves don't live in Germany any more—they were all hunted to extinction._ Just as Hogan was about to make a run for it, the larger one approached him, wagging his tail. The smaller one followed the larger one's example, and before Hogan knew what was happening, the smaller one jumped on top of him with his paws reaching up towards his shoulders, wagging his tail. Hogan found that he had to keep himself from falling over due to the wolf's strength, and at first he found that he was completely petrified. Though, as the seconds dragged on, Hogan felt that, strangely enough, he was beginning to relax and found that he was comfortable in the wolves' presence.

However, just as quickly as the two wolves had approached Hogan, they ran off in the opposite direction from the tree stump. Hogan quickly found his way back to the stump, still completely baffled over what had just happened. _I wonder if I should tell Carter and Newkirk what I just saw? _ he wondered to himself.

Both wolves watched Hogan descend into the tunnels, before they hurried over to the tree stump themselves. After they had shifted back into their human form, Kinch and LeBeau grabbed the clothes that they had hidden nearby the stump. They quickly began getting dressed, ever watchful for both the patrols and making sure that they weren't spotted by the searchlight.

"Don't you think that jumping up on the Colonel was a little uncalled for?" Kinch quietly asked his friend, shooting him a sideways glance.

"Perhaps, but perhaps not. At least I didn't lick his face, though I had to admit that Loup certainly wanted to" LeBeau quietly replied before he headed down into the tunnels, with Kinch following quickly behind him.

The sergeant had to smile to himself, wondering what the Colonel would think if his corporal had performed that action. He knew that as wolves, sometimes they followed whatever their instinct told them to, but that they also had to sometimes restrain themselves.

With all five men present inside the tunnels, Hogan began explaining the good news to his men. "Marie is pregnant with my twins!" he breathlessly exclaimed, and his men could see that he had a wide smile and that his usual twinkle was shining brightly in his eyes.

Hogan's men could only look amongst themselves, as they felt their own smiles breaking out.

"Congratulations sir!" Kinch wished his Colonel, proudly shaking his hand. As Hogan looked among his men, he could see that they also added their own "Congratulations!" to the chorus.

"Do you know what genders they are?" LeBeau asked.

"Yes. She has told me one is a boy, and that the other is a girl. Pretty soon, there will be a little Marie and a little Robert running around," Hogan replied, the smile still showing on his face.

Suddenly, Carter found that a question had come to his mind. "But how is this possible? Since you're now a vampire, you can't have any children, unless…" the sergeant found himself smiling as the truth was beginning to sink in.

"Unless she got pregnant before you were changed," Newkirk said with a smile, finishing Carter's thoughts for him. "I know you said 'ow much you wanted children, so I'm glad to see that you 'ave your wish."

"Yes—at least that's _one _thing that damn Faust wasn't able to steal from me!" Hogan replied, though his answer was more happy than angry.

Suddenly, Hogan found that he wanted to tell Carter and Newkirk the full truth that Tiger had told him. However, since he didn't know if Kinch and LeBeau knew that their Kommandant was a werewolf, or if werewolves even existed, he waited until they left the tunnels before turning back to his two men, who could sense that he had something that he wanted to add.

"Yes, sir?" they asked at the same time.

"Well, apparently Klink isn't the only shape shifter in this area. I don't know that much about werewolves, but apparently…Tiger's one of them. My daughter will be one also," Hogan replied. He could see that both of his men appeared completely surprised, and he could sense that their expressions were genuine. _Apparently, neither of my men knew what Tiger was_ he thought to himself.

"Well, you're certainly going to be the 'ead of one interesting family," Newkirk finally replied after a minute of silence, before another smile broke out on his face.

"I know. The sooner this war is over, the better. I haven't worked out the details yet, such as where we're going to live once this bloody war ends, but I know one thing for a fact. I'm going to be the best father that I can be!" Hogan replied, almost triumphantly.

Suddenly, Hogan felt himself frowning as he knew that he had to tell his men the second strange encounter with wolves that he had experienced that night.

"I know that wolves are extinct in Germany, but I came across two of them before I got back into camp. One of them was large, and the other one was smaller." As Hogan pondered over his thoughts, a new idea came to mind. "Are there any other werewolves in this camp that I should know about?"

"The only one that we know of is Klink," both of his men replied, almost a little too quickly.

"Are you sure about that?" Hogan asked, noticing how rapidly they had answered his question.

"We're positive," both men lied to the best of their ability.

Hogan couldn't tell if his men were telling the truth, though he knew that he should let the matter drop for now. _I suppose if there are other werewolves in this camp, then they must have a very good reason for not revealing themselves. I suppose that rules out Kinch and LeBeau then, since I should hope that they would be able to trust me with their secret._

"We better get ready for roll call then," Hogan replied, though he found that he had to stop himself from yelling at his men that he wanted the truth from them, and that he was making it an order.

As Carter and Newkirk followed being their commanding officer, both of them could feel themselves inwardly sighing. _I don't like lying to the Colonel_ Carter thought to his friend. _He deserves to know the truth, though in his condition he might not be able to handle it right now._

_I agree_ Newkirk replied. _I suspect that those two wolves that 'e saw must 'ave been Kinch and LeBeau. I wonder if they were trying to reveal themselves indirectly? I just 'ope that they realize that the Gov'nor's in no mood right now to accept the truth about themselves. In a way, I wish that they 'ad never 'eard those bloody stories in the first place about "our kind" not getting along. Maybe then they would 'ave revealed themselves before we all got kidnapped by Faust._

…

Morning roll call came and went as usual, though Hogan found that he was still preoccupied with his thoughts about the wolves that he had met, both known and unknown. He quickly scanned the prisoners that were lined up with him, wondering if one of them might be the werewolves that he had seen. However, he didn't notice anything different about them, so he could only sigh to himself.

However, he did think that he saw Klink acting slightly more nervous than usual, especially as he was eyeing Carter and Newkirk, though he tried to present a calm exterior. _I wonder if Klink knows who the two werewolves are?_ he asked himself. _If that's the case, then maybe they're two of the guards?_ However, his thoughts were interrupted by Schultz dismissing the prisoners. _I wonder if Schultz is one of them? Nah, that couldn't be possible. That would have to be a _really _big werewolf then!_ he thought as he chuckled to himself. So far, he only knew that one of the men had to be short, and that the other man had to be taller. He also knew that there was no way they could be Kinch or LeBeau, due to the whole trust issue.

Finishing his thoughts, Hogan was the last of the prisoners to head back inside the barracks. He could see that LeBeau had already made a fresh pot of coffee, and that he was busy preparing the daily breakfast. Hogan helped himself to both a cup while adding his own sugar, and he sat down at the common table with the rest of his men. However, he could see that even though Carter and Newkirk tried to concentrate on their flavorless breakfast, they sometimes glanced at him when they thought that he didn't notice. At first, it didn't really bother him, but as the breakfast wore on, he could see that they seemed to be looking at him under a new light, as though they were studying his appearance for the first time.

Finishing his breakfast, Hogan waited until his two men had finished theirs as well before he motioned with his hand for them to follow him inside his quarters. Sitting down at his chair, he invited both of them to sit down on his lower bunk.

"I know you two can be good actors, but I noticed that you were looking at me all during breakfast. Now, would you two care to explain what _that_ was all about!" he asked, unable to hide the suspicious anger in his voice.

Trying to stay calm, Carter nonetheless knew that he was about to deliver his Colonel some terrible news. However, he couldn't help looking quickly down at his feet before looking back up as he began, "Well, sir, Anne contacted us last night. She had a vision, and it wasn't a good one."

Heavily sighing, Newkirk could see that Carter was unable to finish the bad news. "She saw you giving into your darkness, sir, and that you 'ad joined those bad vampires. She actually saw you _drinking_ from me, and that you either killed or seriously wounded me as well."

Both of Hogan's men could see that he was looking down at the floor, and that he had begun to wrap his arms around himself. Looking up, they could see that his eyes had become misty, and that he was fighting to hold back his tears. "But I would _never_ do that!" he shouted. "I know I may be having trouble controlling my desires right now, but that is simply beyond me! Newkirk, you know that I would _never_ hurt you!"

"Well, 'er visions are wrong 10% of the time, and for all she knows it may 'ave just been a really bad nightmare," Newkirk calmly replied, being brave for all three of the men.

"We're not going to let that happen to you. We're going to teach you how to deal with your changing, and we're going to be here to protect you," Carter added.

"But how can you possibly protect me from myself? If Anne saw you two joining my operation, then maybe this really _will_ come to pass!" Hogan responded, completely fearful of the news that his men had given him.

Both men sighed simultaneously before responding, "We're not sure. We're really not sure how to, but we know that we are, one way or another. It's going to be over our dust that we lose you!"

Getting up, Hogan found himself pacing back and forth in his quarters, trying to think of anything that would get the bad news out of his head.

Standing up, Newkirk reached out to place a hand on his Colonel's shoulder. "Based on Anne's vision, what you 'ave to learn next may 'ave negative consequences. 'Owever, it's important that you learn 'ow to fight as a vampire."

Turning to face his corporal, Hogan slyly responded, "I _am_ a trained soldier, Newkirk. I think I know how to take care of myself."

Before Hogan could respond, however, Newkirk quickly wrapped both arms around his Colonel's waist before lifting him into the air as easily as if he was picking up one of his cigarettes. Newkirk could see that Hogan appeared slightly surprised at his show of strength by his expression. Just as quickly, Newkirk set him back on his feet again.

"I think it would be best if you followed me and Carter into the tunnels, sir. If these vampires do come after you, you need to know 'ow to protect yourself against them. You need to learn 'ow to _fight_."

Hogan could only nod his agreement, before following both of his men out of his quarters and down into the tunnels. "Just try not to rough me up _too_ much. I'm not really in the mood to have to explain my bruises to Klink today," Hogan responded once they were in the tunnels, not sure how much strength and speed his men _truly_ possessed.

"We'll try our best," both men could only respond. "We'll certainly try our best."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: Revelatory Training

Down below in the tunnels, Newkirk, Carter and Hogan were in the same private room where they usually drank their blood. Newkirk had made sure to move the furniture such as the cups and the safe, outside of the room so that they would have the entire space to practice in. Even though Hogan had once seen Newkirk and Carter push Colonel Magerlein's car with him inside it for half a mile, he was still amazed by his corporal's show of strength. He had managed to pick up the safe as though it weighed nothing more than a couple of feathers.

"So, how exactly does this go?" Hogan asked quizzically, still trying to keep control over his emotions. _After all, I don't want to injure my men _too _much_ he thought to himself.

As though they were reading their commanding officer's mind, Newkirk and Carter both shook their heads in a negative manner. "For once, it might be better to lose control over your emotions. That should give you a fighting edge, which is important since this is your first training session" they replied at the same time. They could see that Hogan could only nod, still not sure if his men's advice was actually a good one or not.

Newkirk and Carter quickly moved off to opposite ends of the room, with Hogan in the middle. He could see they were quickly circling around him, much as he had once seen Faust do to Klink. Suddenly, Newkirk lunged at Hogan before the Colonel had time to even blink an eye, and he tackled him to the floor, where Hogan landed with an "Oomph!"

"You're going to 'ave to be quicker than that, sir," Newkirk replied, still pinning Hogan's arms down as though they were boxing with all of his strength. Hogan tried kicking his corporal off of him, but it was to no avail. After Newkirk had held him down for fifteen seconds, he began getting off of him. Having let go of Hogan's right arm, he was about to let go of his left arm as well before the next thing he knew Hogan had grabbed Newkirk's free left arm, and pushed him onto his back, effectively pinning him this time.

"You mean, like that?" Hogan sarcastically asked, his eyes finally turning their green shade to match Newkirk's.

Before Hogan knew what was happening, however, he could feel a set of arms around his chest, pulling him off of Newkirk. He knew that Carter was trying to stop him, so without even thinking about it he freed one of his arms that had been holding onto Newkirk to push Carter off of him, much as he had recently done to Klink. He could see that, for better or for worse, it had the same effect as before and the sergeant went flying across the room, hitting his back on the wall.

Fearful that he had actually hurt one of his men, Hogan turned his head around to begin to issue an apology. However, Newkirk took the opportunity to push Hogan off of him, before quickly jumping to his feet.

Standing over his Colonel who had fallen down on his back, Newkirk quickly circled around him, and he was quickly joined by Carter who had regained his balance. "Sir, unless you have a stake or a bullet with you, you can't kill us. Our wounds will heal, but you have to treat this as though it was an actual battle. If you lose your concentration for even one second, it will give the enemy the opportunity they need to finish you off," both men replied at the same time.

Suddenly, a new thought occurred to Newkirk, one that he had been trying to avoid up until that point in time. _If this were an actual battle, some of those vampires might be as old as I am. The Colonel needs to learn 'ow to protect 'imself against a vampire with wings. But is the Gov'nor ready for that truth?_

Carter could only look at his friend, since while he wasn't reading his mind he could sense what Newkirk was thinking. _Peter's right—the Colonel should learn how to protect himself against all kinds of vampires, especially the older ones._

However, while both men were busy thinking their thoughts, Hogan had jumped up from his position, and wrapping his arms around Newkirk's left and Carter's right, had quickly pushed them down to the floor.

"Now, what is it you were saying about always concentrating!" he shouted, this time unable to hide the conflicted anger in his voice.

Quickly sitting up, Newkirk knew what he had to do, though he wasn't sure how Hogan would take it. "Time out," he quickly called, and he could see that his Colonel quickly stopped the move that he was about to perform.

Standing up, Newkirk began to pace for a couple of seconds, and Hogan could see that his corporal appeared to be deep in thought. Turning around to face Hogan, Newkirk began, "Sir, there's something that you should know about being a vampire. You see, there are certain…changes that one experiences after they turn 150. You need to know 'ow to protect yourself against these kinds of vampires, since I 'ave no idea 'ow old those other vampires are."

Hogan could only look at his corporal quizzically, not sure at what he was getting at. However, Hogan found that he was gasping to himself as he saw Newkirk's eyes change color from green to purple. Before he could ask what was going on, Hogan watched as Newkirk took off both his RAF-issued overcoat and his regular shirt, before handing them both to Carter.

Suddenly, Hogan found that his eyes had grown extremely wide as he witnessed Newkirk's transformation. He could see that his corporal's body was quickly changing colors from flesh to white, and that his veins were becoming visible along his entire chest. Then, Hogan heard what sounded like a very faint rustling sound, and before he knew it he could see that his corporal actually possessed a set of wings. Then, as if that wasn't enough, Hogan witnessed as Newkirk began flapping them behind him, and that a couple of seconds later he was a foot off the ground.

Hogan's mind raced back to how he had felt and behaved when he heard his men tell him that they were vampires, and he had seen their eyes become green and their upper and lower fangs emerge. Once again, Hogan found that he had to keep himself from fainting, and as though Carter was reading his mind, even though he still couldn't, he quickly left the room and reappeared with a glass of water.

"What…what _are_ you?" Hogan asked, staring dumbfounded at his corporal. He wasn't sure if he should be fearful, disgusted, or amazed at the sight that lay before him. "For bloody sakes, you have _wings_!" he shouted after a full minute of silence.

Newkirk could sense that Hogan wasn't taking his revelation very well, which made him quickly look down to the floor. Looking up again, he could only ask, "Do you like them?"

"I don't know!" Hogan shouted. "Wait—does this mean that in 150 years I'm going to get wings _too_?" he asked. He could see that Newkirk quickly nodded yes, which made him return his gaze to the floor.

Suddenly, Hogan's mind began racing with countless questions. "Do they hurt when you bring them out? Do they disappear when you're not using them? Or do you just keep them tucked somewhere where we can't see them?"

Setting his feet back on the floor, Newkirk knew that it was his responsibility to answer any and all questions that his commanding officer might think of. "They do 'urt a little bit when I bring them out, since I keep them tucked inside me back, between me skin and me spine. After all, I couldn't exactly let the Krauts see them when they searched me, or me doctor during me physical when I first got "drafted," now could I? The pain disappears very quickly, 'owever."

Hogan could only nod to himself, listening to and thinking over the information that Newkirk had just told him. Suddenly, he blurted out, "They're beautiful! They really are."

This time, it was Newkirk's turn to be surprised. "Do you really think so, Gov'nor? You don't mind that this is really 'ow I look?"

At first, Newkirk's last sentence didn't make a whole lot of sense to Hogan. Suddenly, the truth began to sink in. "I thought that this was just something that you underwent, whenever you needed to use your wings. But, you're telling me that your human appearance is actually your disguise, and not the other way around?" Hogan asked, watching his corporal slowly nod his head.

Turning to face Carter, who had moved to stand nearby his friend, Hogan could see that he wasn't the least bit surprised. "You knew about this too, didn't you? How long have you known?"

"Ever since the beginning, almost immediately after I knew that Newkirk was a vampire," came the sergeant's steady reply.

"I suppose I understand why you didn't want to tell me this in the beginning, when you first informed me that you were vampires. After all, I certainly didn't take that very well, so I can't imagine how I would have reacted to this. I understand why you're letting me know about this now, and I have to admit that I agree. If I'm going to beat those other vampires, it's important that I know how to fight them," Hogan replied. However, if he thought that he was completely confused about his emotions and his desires, he still wasn't sure how to treat Newkirk's news. _Sure, they do look good on him, but how are they going to look on me? When I'm old enough, will I hate them or like them? What's the point in even having them, other than to…?_

However, Hogan found that a small smile was beginning to cross his face, as he knew what he would be able to perform in 150 years. "I'll be able to fly again, won't I? It may not be in an airplane, and it certainly won't be as general, but I do have to admit that I'm looking forward to being able to be above the clouds again," Hogan replied with genuine sincerity.

However, Hogan could sense that this wasn't the only piece of news that Newkirk had to tell him. "Sir, you better keep your ears covered for this. As far as I know, that's the only effective weapon against me Scream of Death."

Hogan watched as Carter quickly covered his ears, holding onto them as though they were bleeding. Following his sergeant's example, he could still hear Newkirk emit a ghastly moan, and he noticed that it felt like his entire body was shaking on the inside, and that his arms and legs felt like Jello. After ten seconds, all was completely quiet, and Hogan watched Carter remove his hands from over his ears before he allowed himself to remove his own.

After a couple of seconds had passed, Hogan felt that his body was beginning to return to normal, and that his arms and his legs had regained their strength and that he was no longer inwardly shaking. This time, however, he was able to immediately put the pieces together.

"So, you're telling me that this "Scream" of yours has the power to kill? Why didn't you use it on Faust? If you had, then maybe I would still be human!" Hogan shouted, not understanding why his corporal wouldn't have used every means at his disposal.

Newkirk could only sigh before telling his Colonel the truth. "It does 'ave the power to kill other vampires, so if Carter 'ad covered 'is ears 'e would 'ave been protected. 'Owever, you would 'ave ended up in a mental 'ospital…for life. Even if you 'ad covered your ears, you would 'ave been driven permanently insane, since you were still 'uman at the moment. That's what this ability of mine does to _all_ 'umans." Newkirk allowed himself to sigh again, not sure at all as to how Hogan would take this piece of news.

Hogan could only think over this additional piece of information that Newkirk had told him, as he began to digest it. "Well, I certainly wouldn't have wanted _that_!" he finally responded, unable to hide the anger in his voice. "But how am I supposed to protect myself against an older vampire? I don't exactly have wings of my own, you know," he replied sarcastically.

"Well, as long as you can cover your ears, the Scream won't 'urt or kill you, and as long as you can dodge any bullets or stakes aimed at your 'eart, you should be safe," Newkirk replied. "Of course, if there's more than one vampire present, they may try to 'old you in place or keep you from covering your ears. You need to be strong and fast enough to be able to keep that from 'appening to you."

"That's why we're training," all three men replied at the same time. Hogan allowed a small smile to cross his face, realizing that the psychic link was becoming stronger between him and his two men all the time.

"But sir, I don't think Kinch and LeBeau should know about this. I don't want them to think that I'm sort of monster or demon. After all, if they saw 'ow I really look, they wouldn't be able to concentrate on anything else," Newkirk said, hoping that Hogan would understand the implications if his secret was revealed beyond the three of them.

"I'm going to be honest with you—it's going to be hard for _me_ to not think of you this way when we're out on missions, or even when we're in the barracks. But if this is how you really look, I'm going to have to accept it. I lost too much ground with you when I told you that I was fearful of you, especially after we went to Colonel Magerlein's house. I don't want that to happen between us again," Hogan truthfully replied, allowing a very small smile to cross his face.

With that, Hogan watched as Newkirk pulled his wings into his back again, and his body returned to its normal color. As soon as he had completed that, the corporal tried rushing his Colonel again. However, this time Hogan was ready for him. Putting both of his arms in front of him, Hogan was able to push Newkirk away from him, but this time he was able to control his strength so Newkirk only took a couple of steps backwards instead of flying across the room. Also, Carter tried sneaking up on Hogan again, but the Colonel quickly spun around and was able to kick Carter's left foot from under him, causing him to lose his footing and land on the floor.

The session continued for thirty more minutes, with each man trying to rush at Hogan and take him down. A couple of times, Newkirk and Carter were able to get in a couple of well-aimed tackles, which caused Hogan to lose his footing and tumble downwards. Other times, Hogan was able to use his arms to block their tackles, though he did end up apologizing to Carter for the punch that almost broke his jaw, and the kick that caused Newkirk to double over, clutching his lower left foot. After that amount of time had passed, all three men were beginning to realize how sore they were, and they knew they were probably covered in several, if not numerous bruises.

Hogan and his men walked out of the private room while forcing their eyes to return to their normal color. They came across Kinch and LeBeau, who had gathered around the radio while listening to some important news that was coming in from London. However, both men's eyes grew wide as they scanned their commanding officer and his two men, and they immediately noticed the strong bruising that was present on Carter's jaw.

Putting down the earphones after Kinch had finished copying down the message, he could only ask, "What happened to you?" while looking directly at the sergeant.

"We were training," all three men replied at the same time, while Carter began messaging his jaw, noticing for the first time how much it hurt.

"They were teaching me how to fight as a vampire," Hogan added, speaking up before taking full responsibility for Carter's bruise.

"Remind me to never get in the middle of that," LeBeau added, his face growing slightly pale at understanding his Colonel's show of strength.

"Agreed," Kinch added. "How do you plan on explaining this to Klink, or to Schultz? They're going to get suspicious as soon as they see this."

"For starters, we can't tell them that Carter was in a fight. They'll want to know who the offending party is, and I can't exactly tell them that it was me. We'll just have to tell them that Carter got clumsy, and that he hit his head on the table trying to reach something that had fallen underneath it."

"Schultzie might buy it, but do you really think that Klink will?" LeBeau asked incredulously.

"'E will if 'e knows what's good for 'im," Newkirk responded.

"Now, what was that message about?" Hogan asked, trying to keep control over his anger that he had used during his fighting.

"There's a new ammo dump in Hammelburg that they want us to blow up tonight. Fortunately, it sounds like a routine mission, so Carter and Newkirk should be able to take care of it easily. Unless, you want somebody else to go with Carter?" Kinch asked, not knowing if Hogan could bear being without the company of his men for several hours, as he suspected that his Colonel still had conflicted emotions. _Even if the Colonel wants us to think that everything's fine with him, he must still feel terrible after he killed Hochstetter._

Hogan sighed, since he knew that what he had to say might make him look weak in the eyes of his men. "If it's ok with everybody, I would prefer that Newkirk remain in the barracks. LeBeau, do you think you could handle this job instead?"

"Oui, I shall try," LeBeau responded, understanding how much Hogan was hesitant in letting the corporal out of his sight. At the same time, LeBeau was secretly thrilled. _Since this is the first mission for me that Carter knows that I am a shape shifter, I'm looking forward to seeing how useful Loup's abilities will be._

With that, Hogan began climbing up into the barracks, since he knew that his men would easily be able to handle the mission that lay ahead for them. At the same time, Hogan found that a new worry had begun to cross his mind. He wasn't sure how much of it was related to Anne's visions, since for all he knew the bad news that his men had informed him of might be weighing heavily on his mind. However, Hogan found himself horrified at the thought that that was a part of him, however small, that had actually wanted to break his sergeant's jaw when he punched him. _This isn't good_ he thought to himself, fearful that his darkness was beginning to consume him. _I need to tell Newkirk and Carter about this. Please, tell me that Anne's vision was only a nightmare!_ he silently prayed to himself.

Back in the barracks, Hogan quickly walked over to his quarters, trying to get that worrisome thought out of his mind. However, he found that the more he tried to shake it, the heavier it was preying on his mind. Lying down on his lower bunk, he found that he was thinking about the news that his men had informed him of before their training session. He only bothered looking up when he heard a knock on his closer door, which he responded to with a distracted "Come in."

Appearing inside his doorway which he quickly shut, Hogan lifted himself up on his arms into a sitting position when he noticed that Newkirk was present. Without being invited to, Newkirk sat down on his lower bunk, and Hogan could see that his eyes had returned to their shade of green. Hogan found that this was the second time that they took on a piercing appearance, as though they were staring directly into his soul.

"Something's troubling you, isn't it?" Newkirk asked, as though this was a matter-of-fact thing to say. Even though Newkirk suspected what it might be, he realized that he had to be strong for his Colonel's sake, as well as helping him with any conflicted emotions that he might be experiencing.

Hogan could only drop his gaze before looking up again, and Newkirk could see that once again, his eyes were misty. "I don't know if this has to do with the fact that I'm still thinking about Anne's vision, but when I was training with both of you right now, there was a small part of me that actually _wanted_ to break Carter's jaw…and to hurt you as well."

Suddenly, Hogan found himself standing up, and he began to nervously pace back-and-forth. "But it can't be that way! I won't let myself!" he shouted with a fierce resolve.

"You could be feeling this way because you were in the 'eat of the battle," Newkirk replied, trying to sound calm.

"That could be it, but what if it wasn't? For the first time in a long time, I won't deny the fact that I'm feeling truly scared at the moment. Newkirk, what should I do?" he asked, knowing that he probably sounded as fearful as he felt.

"Well, if Anne's vision does come true, I could always try flying away," Newkirk responded, hoping that some humor would help lighten the mood that was currently present in Hogan's quarters. "You 'ave to believe me when I tell you that I won't allow you to 'urt me, Carter, or anybody else for that matter. We're both going to be right here, and we're going to watch over you," Newkirk responded, hoping that if he sounded like a broken record enough times Hogan would begin to get a grip over his emotions and would try to relax himself.

"Newkirk's right, you know," Carter added, suddenly appearing inside Hogan's quarters while joining Newkirk and his Colonel on the lower bunk. "We're going to make sure that no harm comes to you, and that you don't cause any yourself. Besides, nobody can be dark when they have love in their heart. You do still love Tiger and want to be there for your family, right?"

"Of course I do! You know that I love Marie with all of my heart and being, and that I'm going to try to be the best father that I can be," Hogan replied with dogged determination.

"Then that should help you from giving into your true nature," both men replied.

Getting up from the bunk, Carter began making his way towards the door. "I need to get ready for tonight's mission now. I'm sure that Newkirk will stay with you and help you in any way that he can." Quietly, almost inaudibly, he added, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Hogan added, knowing that if anybody should carry guilty emotions it should be him, and not his sergeant.

"For leaving you when you need me the most," Carter added, looking down at his feet.

"No, you have a mission to perform tonight, so what I need is for you to go out there and be the best demolitions man that you can be. I won't have my changing _or_ my emotions jeopardize this operation, and all of the good that it's causing for the war effort." He didn't want to add out loud, "Besides, if the worse should happen, I know that Kinch is fully capable of being your commanding officer." With that, Hogan watched as Carter left his quarters, knowing that the mission that night would be a success. Of course, neither he nor his men could have foreseen the unexpected snag that Carter and LeBeau would come across.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen: Unexpected Snag

The rest of the day proved uneventful, though as Hogan had feared, Schultz and Klink did notice Carter's bruising at evening roll call. Fortunately, any bruising that was evident on Hogan and Newkirk escaped unnoticed by the two Germans, as well as the rest of the prisoners.

Calling Hogan inside the Kommandantur with him leading the way, Klink entered his office and sat down behind his desk with Hogan standing in front of it. Klink could only ask, "What happened to Carter? You know that I don't allow fighting among the prisoners inside my Stalag."

"He wasn't fighting, sir. He was writing a letter to his girlfriend, when he accidentally dropped his pen underneath the table. He bumped his chin trying to pick it up," Hogan said, trying to sound as honest as possible with his Kommandant.

"And you expect me to believe this?" Klink asked incredulously, looking Hogan directly in the eye. _I wonder what the real truth behind Carter's bruising is?_ Nimrod thought to himself. _After all, if he really _was_ that clumsy there's no way he would be a part of Papa Bear's team._

"It's the truth, sir. Now why would I lie about a thing like that?" Hogan asked, feigning hurt feelings.

"Knowing you, you would want to protect any of your men, even those in different barracks, from having to go to the cooler if it can be avoided. I'll let it go this time, but I expect that there won't be any more 'accidents.' Is that understood?" Klink asked.

"Perfectly. Though, you have to admit that this could be a first," Hogan began, with the slightest hint of his usual twinkle evident in his eyes.

Not understanding what Hogan was getting at, Klink could only stare at his American counterpart slightly dumbfounded. Knowing that he would have to explain himself further, Hogan went on to say, "Well, usually _I'm_ the one coming into your office with a complaint," Hogan responded.

Since he was obviously annoyed, Klink could only respond with a "Dismissed!" and an extremely sloppy salute, which Hogan returned before leaving the office.

Walking back to his barracks, Hogan found that he was surprised at how well he had managed to control his emotions in front of his Kommandant. _Maybe things are finally beginning to return to normal around here_ he thought to himself. _Maybe there's some hope for me after all._ At the same time, he also found himself thinking about the revelation that Newkirk had just shared with him about his true appearance. _So, he has wings, huh? I suppose that could prove to be a useful ability. I wonder how fast he can fly with them? If we can expand the distance of our operation, that would definitely be helpful for our side. _Suddenly, a new, more troublesome thought occurred to him also. _However, there's always the possibility that some Kraut or even Allied flyer might find him, and think that he's a new weapon and try to shoot him down. I couldn't live with myself if that happened, so maybe it's best that he's never used this ability of his. Though, that scream of his could prove useful against these bad vampires. We really need to think of a plan for taking them down, before they cause any more harm to any of our agents or flyers._ He would not let himself think _Or, if they caused any harm to me as well._

Since he had reached his barracks, Hogan made a beeline straight for the tunnels, since he knew that Carter and LeBeau would be down in there, making their final preparations for tonight's mission. He was relieved that it would be a relatively simple task, especially since it was only an ammo dump that had to be taken care of. At the same time, Hogan couldn't shake a nagging thought that had been bothering him ever since Carter had left his quarters. He didn't know quite what it was, but he had a sneaking suspicion that something would go wrong with the mission that night. However, since he was always a little nervous whenever his men were out on missions alone, he made sure he never let them see or notice it, and quickly brushed it aside.

Finding himself inside the tunnels, Hogan could see that all of his men were present, except for Carter. However, he quickly saw his sergeant walking out of the private room where the three men stored their blood, since Newkirk had moved the safe back inside the room. He knew that his men had just partaken of their dinner, whether it was food or blood. Even though he tried to avoid it, he couldn't help but look at Newkirk as though he was meeting his corporal for the first time. While the rest of the men didn't notice this, Newkirk immediately suspected what was on his Colonel's mind. However, he could sense that Hogan truly didn't mind how he looked, or what abilities he possessed, which made a small smile appear on his face. Still, Newkirk found that something was troubling him. _What I showed the Colonel was only 'alf of what I look like. I don't think I can show 'im the rest of me—at least, not right now. If 'e knew 'ow useless I was, especially with me 'ands…well, I don't ruddy want to think about that!_ he angrily thought to himself. As far as he could remember, Newkirk had known that his hands were his best assets, even before he had joined Hogan's operations. He wasn't proud of the fact that he had a so-called "criminal past," or at least the background story that he had been forced to make up for why he was an expert thief. Suddenly, some thoughts came flooding back to his mind that he had first told Hogan when he had told him that he was a vampire: "'_Aving to learn to pickpocket to avoid settling down."_ Still, he had always been proud of the fact that whenever Hogan needed a job done that involved some sort of handiwork, that it was him that he always turned to. Knowing that and thinking about the truth, Newkirk could only sigh to himself.

However, his thoughts were interrupted by Hogan beginning to go over the details of the mission. "I expect that you have the necessary explosives ready for tonight, Carter? I want you to set the timers for one hour after you plant them. That way, it should give you both plenty of time to get back here before they go off, which will provide the alibi that you need for when Schultz comes looking for you."

"Understood," Carter and LeBeau responded, almost simultaneously. They were dressed in their basic blacks, and had already covered their faces with the necessary black makeup for their disguises.

"Good luck, the both of you," Hogan wished them, watching both men leave the barracks. As he watched his men leave, he noticed that LeBeau was wearing a small backpack which he didn't quite understand. However, he figured that after all this time, his corporal knew what he was doing so he didn't bother asking him about it.

Once they were outside of the tree stump, Carter and LeBeau began to get to work. Earlier in the day, the corporal had told the sergeant that he was looking forward to accomplishing his first mission as a shape shifter, so Carter wasn't the least bit surprised when he asked Carter to turn around so that he wouldn't see him undress. LeBeau sat down behind the tree stump, making sure to watch for the ever-present guards and avoid being spotted by the searchlights. Folding his fatigues inside his backpack, LeBeau concentrated on the transformation, making sure to bite his tongue so that he wouldn't emit any screams.

Carter couldn't help but watch in slight amazement, since this was only the second time that he had seen his friend shift. He was glad that LeBeau trusted him enough to be able to share his secret with him, and that both men had quickly forgotten about the stories that they had heard regarding 'their kind' not getting along with each other. Once the transformation was completed and Loup had made sure that the backpack was securely wrapped around his back, the wolf could only look at his friend expectantly. His yellow eyes met his friend's green eyes, and both men rapidly made their way towards the ammo dump, each matching the other's speed. The two figures made their way through the darkness, Carter's eyes shining in the barely visible moonlight while Loup knew where he was going by following Carter's scent. Both men enjoyed how they were performing their mission, since they were glad that they were able to use their respective abilities. Also, they were able to reach the ammo dump in only half the time that it normally would have taken them if they were moving at their regular human speed.

Once they had reached the ammo dump, Loup slid the backpack out from over him, and he shifted back into his human form while LeBeau quickly began getting dressed. Meanwhile, Carter quickly began placing half of the explosives around the site, which again he was able to perform in only half the time that it normally would have taken him if he was moving at human speed. LeBeau was able to place the other half, though he had to move at a slower pace since he didn't possess any extraordinary speed when he wasn't in his wolf form. Having completed the mission, both men began to make their way back to camp. However, before LeBeau had the opportunity to shift again, his ears picked up what sounded like a faint rustling noise coming from quite a distance away.

Motioning to his friend to find some cover, LeBeau and Carter could only watch and wait, hoping that whatever was making that noise would quickly move away from them and not catch them. They suspected that it was a German patrol, so they had no way of knowing what was about to happen next.

Before either of them could respond, they heard what sounded like a whistling noise come rushing through the air, and smoke began quickly filling the sky.

"It's a smoke bomb!" Carter shouted, and for once LeBeau couldn't chastise his friend for pointing out the obvious. However, before either of them could make a run for it, four figures quickly appeared through the hazy confusion, and Carter could make out four sets of green eyes.

…

The next thing he knew, Carter and LeBeau found themselves waking up in a barn, both still feeling extremely groggy from whatever had happened to them. Looking around the room, Carter could only gasp to himself, realizing that it appeared exactly as Newkirk had described it to him from Anne's vision. He tried making a run for it, but he noticed that his hands, as well as his feet were bound together by some very thick rope, and that his arms were tied around a chair.

"Louis, where are you? Answer me!" Carter shouted as the grogginess began to wore off, not knowing what had happened to his friend, but being prepared to expect the worse.

"Andre, calm down. I am right next to you," LeBeau answered, looking over to his left and seeing that whoever had kidnapped them had placed the chairs together.

Suddenly, both men saw that four men seemed to appear from out of nowhere, and while their eyes had returned to their normal shade, Carter immediately realized that they were the four vampires who had kidnapped them.

"Allow me to introduce myself," one of the men, who appeared to be in his mid-40s with dark brown hair, said. "My name is Sergeant Metzger, and they," he said, moving his arm to indicate the three other men who were present, "are Patrick Allerton, Corporal Nacht, and Corporal Amsel." Even though he tried not to show it, Carter found himself inwardly gasping as soon as he spotted Allerton, and though he tried to fight it, he began feeling an inexplicable connection to the man that both sickened and scared him.

"What do you dirty Bosch want from us?" LeBeau spat, struggling to free himself from the ropes.

"Don't bother struggling, since you'll only wear yourselves out," Nacht, who could easily pass for Metzger's twin, calmly informed his two captives with a sweet, sickly smile plastered on his face. "As for you, your job is done. Now, we will release you. Tell your Colonel Hogan that if he ever wants to see his sergeant alive again, he'll do exactly as we tell you," Nacht added, getting directly to the point.

"Which is?" LeBeau asked, still wearing a completely angered expression on his face.

"Simple. Tell him to come here with only his Corporal Newkirk. If he tries bringing any of his other men along with him, we'll know immediately and your friend here will have his life forfeited."

"But where is here? We don't even know where you brought us!" Carter shouted before his friend had a chance to, finding that he had to fight harder than before to avoid looking at Allerton and the connection that he knew he shared with him.

With that, Amsel left both men's sights to walk into another room, before quickly returning with a piece of paper. Placing it down on LeBeau's lap as quickly as possible, the corporal looked down and he could see that it was a rudimentary map that led from the ammo dump to the barn where they were currently locked up. As Amsel began to untie him, LeBeau could only think to himself _If only I had brought my gun with me, I would be able to take care of these men easily._

"I wouldn't try that if I were you," Amsel replied from behind LeBeau, having read his mind. "Sure, you might be lucky enough to take out one of us, but could a mere mortal really destroy four vampires?" he asked with obvious sarcasm.

LeBeau found himself gasping as he noticed that Allerton's, Nacht's, and Metzger's eyes had turned green, and that they were burning, glowing and piercing in such a way that he had never seen from either Carter nor Newkirk. LeBeau also realized that even in this case Loup might not be much help, since he had no experience in fighting vampires before.

As soon as he was untied, Amsel picked up the corporal and carried him throughout and outside of the barn, having easily picked him up. Then, he unceremoniously dumped him on the ground outside of the house, where LeBeau landed with an "Oomph!"

"I trust we have made our point?" Amsel asked, his green eyes glowing and his upper and lower fangs clearly visible. LeBeau could only nod, trying to study the map in the darkness in order to navigate his way back to the ammo dump. Suddenly, he could hear an explosion somewhere nearby, and turning to face it he could see that the night sky was being lit up by his and Carter's fireworks.

"I suggest you hurry, if you don't want the Krauts to find you," Amsel replied, before quickly shutting the door to the barn behind LeBeau.

The corporal immediately knew that the Krauts surveying the area would be looking for a man who was responsible, and not a wolf. Having finished studying the map that had been given to him, LeBeau folded it inside his backpack before taking it off and shifting back into Loup. The wolf had to take thirty minutes to find his way back to the dump, since he was in an area that he had rarely traveled in before. Once he was at the dump, he took off as quick as possible while making sure to avoid any patrols that he might come across.

…

Back inside the barn, Carter could only hope that LeBeau was safe and that he wouldn't be spotted or caught, since he had also heard the explosion that he knew must have come from the recently destroyed ammo dump. He also knew that it was safe to voice the fear that he had been trying to hide from his friend, and he suspected that he had been successful in hiding his worry.

Turning to face Allerton, he could only ask, "What are _you_ doing here!"

"Stanly, is that any way to talk to old friends?" Patrick asked, his voice dripping sweet sarcasm.

"Like hell you are! Not only did you abandon me after you changed me, but apparently you've turned traitor to your own country also!" Carter shouted, seeing his old sire face-to-face for the first time in ten years.

"Ah, now that is where you are wrong. A person can't _turn_ traitor if they were a traitor to _begin_ with, now could they?"

Carter could only look at Allerton completely quizzical. "I don't understand," he said simply.

Allerton could only sigh, knowing that he would have to explain himself further. "You see, I have known Metzger here for thirty years, and I knew that he was one of those rare vampires powerful enough to have visions. I knew that the war was coming, and that working for Germany would probably be in my best interest. You see, he is my _own_ sire, just as I am yours" Allerton informed Carter. "We all know that no vampire can resist the call of his sire, and I also know that you work for Anne. She must see the same quality that I saw in you, if you're part of Colonel Hogan's organization. Some say that he is Papa Bear, some do not. That is of no importance to me. What is, however, is that you and Hogan will make quite a nice addition to our _own_ organization."

"You're batty if you think I'm going to help you!" Carter replied, though he found himself inwardly gasping as he suspected that Allerton was correct. He could already feel the psychic link beginning to break between Newkirk and Hogan, and he could feel the evil connection that was beginning to form between him and his sire. At the same time, thinking about himself wasn't the only person that Carter feared for. He knew that Hogan already had his own doubts about being able to control the darkness within, and he knew why these vampires wanted him and Newkirk to come to them. _Please don't tell me that Anne's vision was correct!_ he thought to himself. _I don't care _what _they do to me, but I'm not going to allow this kidnapping of theirs to be the cause of my Colonel's undoing!_

However, Carter could only watch as all four men left him alone with his thoughts, having gone off into another room to discuss their new plans.

"It wasn't supposed to happen this way!" Nacht angrily shouted, but low enough so that Carter couldn't hear what he had to say. "We were going to trick him at the hospital, and then have his men try to rescue him."

"Well, apparently there's been a change of plans; there's nothing wrong with that," Metzger replied, though he managed to shoot Amsel a suspicious look.

"Don't look at me; I certainly did what I was supposed to do!" Amsel replied. "It's not my fault that he never showed up at the hospital that night. He and his men must not have been as low in blood as we suspected they were."

Trying to take control of the situation, Allerton could only look at the three men while saying, "Everybody, fighting amongst ourselves isn't going to solve anything. It doesn't matter how this happened—the important thing is that in a short while Hogan will be one of us. He'll serve our organization well as one of its leaders. I already talked with most of the others, and at least twenty-three of them have agreed that this plan of ours is a most beneficial one. As for the other seven, well, they will see things our way soon enough."

…

Having arrived back at the tree stump and finding that he was out of breath, LeBeau nonetheless shifted back into his human form, put his clothes back on, and descended below into the tunnels. He could see that Hogan, Kinch, and Newkirk were waiting around the radio, and that Hogan appeared visibly both upset and worried when he saw that only his corporal had returned.

"Where's Carter? What the bloody hell happened!" he shouted, unable to hide the worried anger in his voice.

Quickly, LeBeau began filling his Colonel and the others in on what had happened while they were performing what was supposed to be a "routine" mission. He told them how they had been ambushed, kidnapped, and finally the demands that the bad vampires had told him of. He watched as Hogan's anger caused his eyes to turn green, and his upper fangs to come out.

"Damn them all!" he shouted, having listened to his corporal's report. Turning to face Newkirk, he wasted no time in telling him, "We better get moving. I want Carter found before morning roll call, because if those vampires have done anything bad to him, I could never live with myself."

"Sir, do you think that's a wise idea?" Kinch asked, since LeBeau had told them how many had kidnapped him and Carter. "If we come with you, that would be five, instead of three, against four."

"Yes, but you and LeBeau are human. I don't want any harm to come to either of you!"

Kinch and LeBeau could only look at each other, and they both sighed to themselves. _If only we had told the Colonel what we truly are, and how much help we can be_ they thought to themselves. _But this is certainly no time to inform him of this now._

Hogan began to lead the way out of the tunnels, knowing that Newkirk was following quickly behind him. At the same time, Hogan found that he was fearful of what lay ahead. _What if this is just the opportunity that they've been looking for? What if I really _do _end up giving into my darkness? I don't want Newkirk to know this, but I'm actually scared—more scared than I've ever been in my entire life._

"I'm going to be right 'ere, sir, and I won't let that 'appen to you. I won't let you lose yourself to them," Newkirk responded, as though he was reading Hogan's mind even though he was still unable to. _Apparently, the link comes in before the telepathy does_ he thought to himself.

With that, both men began making their way to the ammo dump, hopeful that they would be able to accomplish their mission both before the morning roll call and before any German patrols could spot them.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen: The Loneliest Number

As Hogan and Newkirk began making their way to the ammo dump, following the map that LeBeau had relayed to them, both men found that they had their own problems to think about. They tried not to dwell too much on them, since the truth was too horrifying for them to comprehend.

_More than ever I need to keep control over my emotions, and make sure that I don't give into any darkness_ Hogan thought to himself. _It's bad enough that I let my desire get the better of me when I killed Hochstetter, but to kill or even injure Newkirk would be unbearable!_

At the same time, Newkirk tried contacting Carter to let him know that he and Hogan were coming to rescue him. However, he found himself inwardly gasping as he discovered that trying to reach his friend was proving almost impossible. _This isn't good_ he thought to himself. _The psychic link between us has always proven easy to connect with. What if there's another force that's trying to break the link? Or even worse…_ Newkirk tried to shake that last thought from his head. He wouldn't allow himself to think that perhaps they were too late to rescue Carter, and that one of the vampires that had kidnapped him and LeBeau had killed his friend. _If they 'ave, there's going to be bloody 'ell to pay!_ he thought to himself.

Having reached the ammo dump, Hogan and Newkirk made sure to avoid being spotted by any German patrols that they knew must be surveying the area. _There seems to be more Krauts here than back at camp_ Hogan thought to himself, knowing that he would have to be extremely careful to avoid detection. He also marveled to himself that this was the first time that he or any of his men had returned to the scene of one of their 'crimes' the same night that they had committed the act. He couldn't help but letting off a small smile, seeing the handiwork that his demolitions expert had performed on the job.

Hogan and Newkirk moved away from the ammo dump, and when they were far enough away, Newkirk whispered to Hogan, "So, do we 'ave a plan for taking care of these guys once and for all?" Even though a couple of ideas had come to the corporal's mind, he was more concerned about protecting his Colonel, both from the other vampires and himself, to give much thought to taking out the vampires.

Patting the inside of his jacket, Hogan smiled as he could feel his favorite gun securely tucked underneath it. He knew that it served two purposes: (1) Taking out the vampires that he would soon come in contact with, but also (2) If need be, for taking out himself before giving into his dark side. "I think that in this case, the element of surprise would be our best defense against them. We should circle around the barn, and try to draw them out. Then, we'll eliminate them before they even knew what hit them." Hogan sighed before adding, "Does Carter know that we're coming?"

Newkirk sighed, not knowing how to deliver the news to his Colonel. "I'm afraid not, sir. I've been trying to get in touch with 'im all night, but so far 'ave been unable to. I don't know what's happened to 'im, but needless to say this isn't good."

Unable to hide his anger, Hogan could only shout, "Those vampires will have hell to pay if they've killed him!" Next, Hogan took a couple of deep breaths, trying to get a handle over his emotions.

As they neared the barn, both men kept on thinking about what they had to do in order to put a stop to the vampires. Suddenly, when they were less than a mile away from where Carter was being held, Newkirk let out an audible gasp. He realized that he knew the truth as to why he was unable to reach his friend, and he puzzled over whether or not he should tell his commanding officer.

Knowing that Hogan deserved to hear the truth, he began, "I know why I 'aven't been able to reach Carter all night. Apparently, one of the vampires, that Allerton, is 'is sire. For better or for worse, a sire usually is able to 'ave complete control over any vampires that 'e's turned. No vampire will be able to resist the call of 'is sire."

Hogan thought over what his corporal had just told him, and he knew that not only was he fearful for his own future but for Carter's as well. "So, you're telling me that there's a very good chance that Carter could give into his own darkness? I don't care what they do to me, but they better not try to do that to him!" _It's more important than ever that I'm able to avoid any temptations that those vampires present to me, especially if I need to work with Newkirk to get Carter back to our side. It's going to be hard enough for Newkirk and Carter to save me, if need be, without Newkirk needing to worry about saving the both of us on his own._

Suddenly, both men found that they were outside of the barn, and they knew what they had to do. Quickly they began circling it, getting to know the physical exterior layout and figuring out how best to lure the other vampires out. Earlier that night, Newkirk had told Hogan how imperative it was that he made sure to keep his mind blank, unless the other vampires read it and would know that both men were coming. Even though Newkirk was very skilled at forcing himself to think of nothing, Hogan realized that as much as he tried to, he couldn't help but think about rescuing his trapped man that was inside the barn.

…

Back inside the barn, Allerton smiled to himself, knowing that Hogan had made a serious mistake in thinking about his man, since he knew that at least Hogan was outside at that very moment. "If Hogan is here, then I assume that means that his other man, Corporal Newkirk, isn't very far behind. It's a pity that we couldn't have all three of his men on our team, since they would make a lovely addition," Allerton asked, having left the other three leaders of Die Schwarzen Engel to voice his opinions to his captive.

Carter could only watch as Allerton paced back and forth in front of him, and Carter found himself engaging in a mental struggle against himself. On the one hand, with every passing second he could feel the connection growing stronger between his sire, and Carter found himself inwardly gasping as he began thinking of ways that he could help his sire in defeating his Colonel and his best friend. On the other hand, the sergeant knew how important it was that he fight against these thoughts and maintain control over himself.

Allerton allowed himself to smile, since he knew the mental anguish that Carter was currently experiencing at the moment. The expressions on his face were changing all the same, and even though the sergeant tried not to show it, his face was as easy to read as though it were a book. One moment his features were soft and sympathetic, another moment they were fearful, and the next they seemed to take on an almost sinister, twisted appearance.

Finally, after several minutes had passed, Carter found that the mental anguish was becoming completely unbearable. "I don't care what you do to me, but you and those others aren't gaining control over my Colonel!" he shouted with genuine sincerity and worry about his commanding officer.

"My dear Stanly, whatever makes you think I'm going to do something bad to your Colonel? I, along with the others, are only going to help him to understand what he _truly_ is, and what he's been all along. You see, we know what he did to Hochstetter and…"

However, Allerton was cut off by Carter looking into Allerton's eyes for the first time since he had been kidnapped. "How do you know about that?" he asked, before finding that he had to force himself to look away.

"Sergeant Metzger is one of those rare vampires that is powerful enough to have visions. We knew that he would give into his darkness, and that as a new vampire he would have trouble controlling his emotions. Since both of these things have come to pass, it will only be a matter of time before Metzger's other vision comes true as well," Allerton replied sinisterly with complete confidence.

Knowing that Metzger would be able to read his mind, Carter had to force himself to avoid thinking about Anne's vision that Newkirk had told him about. However, he didn't realize that by doing this, he was thinking about the nightmare that Hogan had told him about killing Hochstetter before the actual act had occurred.

At first, Allerton could only inwardly gasp, since the event that Carter was thinking about completely shocked him. Then, he allowed himself to give off a small smile as he thought about the usefulness of it all. _I wonder if Hogan was actually having a nightmare about killing Hochstetter, and that only preyed on his mind? Or, perhaps the Colonel is one of those vampires powerful enough to have visions. If that is the case, it would be extremely useful to have another vision-seer on our team. It's a lucky coincidence that this person happens to be the reputed Papa Bear as well._

At the same time, Carter suspected that looking his sire straight in the eye might have been his fatal mistake. Suddenly, he found that the link between himself, Hogan and Newkirk had broken completely, and for a couple of seconds Carter found that he couldn't think of anything.

...

Back outside the barn, Hogan and Newkirk were still circling it when they were about to make their move in luring the vampires outside. Suddenly, they heard another whistling sound come rushing through the air, and as had occurred just a couple of hours ago, some more smoke quickly became visible in the nighttime sky. Hogan and Newkirk tried making a run for it, but they found that the smoke was too powerful for them to handle. Once they had passed out, Amsel and Nacht picked up their bodies and brought them inside the barn, while Metzger went to retrieve a couple of chairs for them to sit in, before positioning them next to Carter. Carter tried struggling against the ropes as soon as he saw who the other vampires had kidnapped.

"What have you done to them!" he shouted, completely angry as he watched his unconscious friends being tied down. Suddenly, he could only look at Allerton before asking, "Why didn't you let me help you?"

Allerton smiled, seeing that Carter had been unable to resist the call. He watched as the sergeant's expression became one of anger and disgust, but it wasn't directed at him or any of the other vampires that he worked with. Instead, it was directed at Hogan and Newkirk.

"I am glad to see that you have come around, finally," Allerton simply replied. "Are you ready to become one of us?"

"Yes,… I am," Carter replied slowly, as though he was in a drugged daze. "You are…my sire and…I would…follow you…anywhere," he replied.

Allerton quickly walked around to Carter's back, and he began to untie his previously bound captive. "Welcome to the team, Stanly. If we're going to defeat the Allies, we could always use another demolitions expert in our organization."

Carter smiled as he could feel himself being untied, and once his wrists were free he looked down at them. They still slightly hurt, and he began rubbing the areas that had noticeable rug burns. Getting up to stand next to his sire, he could only cross his arms.

"I thought that Newkirk was my friend, but for the first time in my life I feel that I'm finally where I'm supposed to be. I can't wait until my Colonel feels the same way," he told Allerton, looking over at his new friend while smiling.

Carter could only wait and watch as Hogan began to gain consciousness from the effects of the smoke bomb first, as he watched as his Colonel began stirring. Looking down, Hogan found that he was tied up against his well, and he began looking groggily around the room.

Spotting his sergeant, Hogan said, "Carter! Thank God you're alright. Listen, those other vampires have kidnapped us. Hurry and help us get untied." However, Hogan could only gasp to himself as he saw his sergeant's expression become one that he was completely unfamiliar with.

"Now, why would I want to do a thing like that?" he asked his Colonel. "These men are my new friends and commanding officers, and pretty soon you will become one of us. It's as inevitable as day into night, and you'll realize how much you love it."

While Carter had been talking to Hogan, he hadn't realized that Newkirk had begun to stir also. "Carter, what did they do to you? This isn't like you!" he shouted, knowing full well what the other vampires had done to his friend.

"No, Newkirk, this _is_ like me!" he shouted back, allowing his eyes to turn green and his upper and lower fangs to be visible. "It's just that I never noticed it before. It's a pity that you will never know the complete and utter happiness that I, and soon the Colonel, will be experiencing."

"Andrew, listen to yourself! They've tricked and brainwashed you. Please, 'elp us to get untied, and…" However, Newkirk cut himself short, since the grogginess had worn off enough for him to see Allerton and the others for the first time. "Alright, which one of you ruddy bastards is Allerton!" he shouted at them, struggling against the ropes that were holding him captive. "Which one of you did this to 'im?"

Stepping forward, Allerton could only look Newkirk directly in the eye. "The vampire that you're looking for is right here," he replied. "I am his sire, and he is only doing what comes naturally to all changed vampires. He is unable to resist my call, and he will serve us well in our organization."

Ignoring Allerton's remarks, Hogan could only look over at Newkirk before looking at Carter once again. "Carter, this isn't like you at all! You're supposed to be helping _me_, not the other way around! Please, you can fight this—you _need_ to be able to fight this and stop them!" he shouted at them.

"Why would I want to stop them?" Carter asked, and Hogan gasped as he began to understand that his sergeant was beyond comprehending anything other than the connection that he shared with his sire.

Still looking directly at Hogan and Newkirk, Allerton, Amsel, Nacht and Metger began to mentally talk amongst themselves, thinking about how best to lure Hogan over to their side while eliminating Newkirk. Turning to face Carter, Amsel told him, "Stanly, please remove the nuisance that is Newkirk from this room. It's time for us to have a little talk with Colonel Hogan."

Carter quickly and easily picked up the chair that Newkirk was sitting in, and lifting it over his shoulders, began to leave the room that the other men were still situated in. Newkirk found that he was struggling against the ropes harder than ever, and he couldn't help but begin to experience a wave of panic that was quickly overcoming him. _No, it can't be this way!_ he worriedly thought to himself. _I can't afford to lose Carter, in addition to losing the Gov'nor as well!_

Once they were in another room in the barn, Carter began to set Newkirk down, which he did rather roughly. Looking up at his friend, Newkirk saw that his friend's eyes were still green, and that both set of his fangs were visible as well. "Andrew, stop this! Please, you're still one of us—don't let those other vampires tell you otherwise! You're still one of Papa Bear's cubs….You're still me best mate!" Newkirk tried telling Carter, but it was of no use.

"Oh, why don't you just shut up!" Carter shouted. "Thanks to you, I know exactly how to get rid of you. I believe that Anne's vision will suit me well."

Newkirk could only inwardly gasp, as he saw his friend's green eyes take on a look of desire that was comparable to how they had appeared when both men were locked up in Faust's cell. Slowly, Carter began bending over his friend's neck, and Newkirk could feel the fangs ripping into his arteries and the blood being drawn from him. "Andrew, stop!" Newkirk could only cry out in pain. "_Please_—you're killing me!" he shouted as he began feeling faint and the world began closing in around him.

Suddenly, it was as though time and the world had both stopped. Before he realized what was happening, Newkirk could feel Carter taking his fangs out of his neck, and he managed to step backward a couple of feet. Newkirk could see that his friend was visibly crying, and that he appeared both horrified and scared.

Newkirk found that it was impossible to keep his eyes open any more, and he let them close while his head dropped. Quickly reaching out to feel his friend's wrist, Carter gasped as the pulse was extremely slow and shallow. _Peter, what have I done?_ he angrily and worriedly asked himself while he began looking around the room.

His eyes fell upon that what he was looking for as he spotted a couple of blood bags lying on a nearby table. Quickly running over to them, Carter began scooping them up before hurrying back to his friend. He didn't bother feeling Newkirk's pulse, since he saw that his friend's chest was barely moving. Tilting his friend's head back, Carter quickly ripped open the bag and carefully began pouring the contents down his throat, forcing him to drink the life-saving substance. Carter tried not to panic as Newkirk didn't seem to be showing any signs of improvement, even though he had swallowed the entire first bag. However, by the time he had finished the second bag, Carter allowed a cautious smile as he noticed that his friend's breathing was beginning to return to normal, and that his pulse seemed to be regulating itself. By the time Carter had finished giving his friend the third bag, Newkirk was stable enough to open his eyes and he began to weakly lift his arms to feed himself. Carter didn't know if he should force his friend's arms back down or not, knowing how stubborn he could be, so he allowed his friend to drink from the fourth bag as well.

By the time Newkirk had finished the fourth bag, Carter was relieved that the blood was beginning to take effect and that his friend seemed to be returning to normal. "Peter, I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!" he replied, trying to keep his eyes from becoming misty again. He raised one hand to absentmindedly wipe the previously shed tears from his cheeks.

"Andrew, you can't be beating yourself up over this. The important thing is that I'm still 'ere, still alive, and you didn't cause me any permanent damage."

However, Carter could only slowly shake his head back and forth. "But I almost killed you! You were at death's door!"

Newkirk could only sigh to himself, since he hated to see how much grief his friend was in. Slowly reaching out to place a hand on Carter's shoulder, Newkirk could only shake his head. "Listen, I know why you did this and you 'ave to tell yourself that this isn't your fault. The important thing now is that we 'ave to save the Gov'nor, so who knows what those other vampires are doing to 'im. 'Elp me get untied."

Carter quickly walked around behind Newkirk's chair while he began struggling with the ropes. Trying to get the act out of his head, the sergeant tried changing the subject. "If the Colonel can be as easily swayed as I was, I can't imagine what we're going to have to face when he have to go rescue him. I can only hope that, together, we can save him before he's lost to us for good," Carter told his friend who, once he had finished untying him, helped Newkirk slowly and cautiously get to his feet.

At first, Newkirk allowed himself to be led out of the room with Carter supporting him. However, he found that with each step he took, his strength was quickly returning to him and that he was able to take the rest of the steps by himself. Standing inside the second room against the wall, Carter carefully peered into the second room, not knowing what to expect. However, before either he or Newkirk could respond, he felt a pair of arms roughly picking them both up and flinging them backwards across the room.

Getting his bearings, Carter could only gasp as his Colonel was standing with the other vampires inside the room, and looking over at his friend, he watched as Newkirk had to fight to keep his strength. Turning around to face Hogan, Carter realized that he and Newkirk were too late to do anything to help their commanding officer.

"You know Carter, you were definitely correct. There _is_ joy and happiness in being who you were truly meant to be. It's a pity that Newkirk had to steal that happiness from you before you could help me and the others in accomplishing our goal," Hogan replied, turning to face his new 'friends.' Carter could see that all of them were smiling their approval to Hogan's assessment, except for Allerton, who had a visible look of disgust at seeing that Carter had managed to break free from his control.

"Sir, if I could fight this, so can you. Please, I know how powerful their tricks can be, but you have to fight them. You can't let them control you like this!" Carter began. At the moment he was aware of only two things (1) He would never let himself fall under Allerton's control again and (2) He, along with Newkirk, would have to do everything in their power to bring their Colonel back to them.

"Oh, but I _want_ them to be able to control me. I know now where I _truly_ belong," Hogan replied, letting his fangs show.

However, Carter and Newkirk could only gasp, since not only were Hogan's upper fangs visible, but for the first time his lower fangs were visible as well. _Blimey, 'e's become a full-fledged vampire!_ Newkirk thought to himself. _I wonder if the telepathy 'as completely kicked in too? This isn't good, since now it will be even 'arder to bring 'im back to us._

"It will indeed," Hogan simply replied, since even though the psychic link was broken between himself and Newkirk, the telepathy had fully kicked in. "So good luck trying!" he shouted at them, before spitting at the floor.

Suddenly, Hogan quickly walked over to them before they had a chance to respond to what was happening, and began lifting them up by their collars. Setting Newkirk back down in the chair where he had recently been tied up in, Amsel brought in another chair from the other room for Carter, before helping Hogan to tie him up as well.

Once Hogan and Amsel had accomplished that task, Hogan turned to the other men with a twisted smile on his face. "Now, about that 'hunting' that you promised I would engage in. Some of us are in the mood for fresh blood, after all." With that, Hogan led the way out of the barn, sneering at his two men with an utter look of contempt as all five men left the barn.

"Colonel, don't do that! You don't want to!" Newkirk called out as loud as possible, not knowing if he was out of earshot or not. However, there was no reply from the empty room, and he could only look at his friend worriedly. _I can only 'ope that I'll be able to keep Carter from giving back into 'is sire_ he thought to himself. It was one thing that now he had to watch over Hogan, but it would be another if he had to protect his friend from himself again also.

"The Colonel will never be able to forgive himself for this. When we're able to bring him back, he won't forgive himself if he kills any innocent people," Carter told his friend, finding that the psychic link between them had returned and voicing his friend's opinions for him.

"I know. 'E'll probably be more suicidal than before," Newkirk replied while heavily sighing. "More than ever, once we get free we're going to make sure that we're there for 'im. But we 'ave to get free first," Newkirk said, as he struggled against the ropes, but found that they wouldn't budge. Looking up, Newkirk could only pray for himself, Carter, and Hogan that everything would turn out alright in the end. _'Eaven 'elp us_.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen: Twisting of the Mind

As Hogan continued walking away from the barn, the leaders of Die Schwarzen Engel taking the lead, the Colonel could only hope that he knew what he was doing as far as the rest of his plan. He knew that he had to get the other vampires, especially Allerton, away from Carter and Newkirk. _It was too easy for Carter to lose himself to his sire_ he thought worriedly to himself. _I need to make sure that this _doesn't _happen again._

It had been Hogan's intention all along to trick the other vampires by only pretending that he had joined ranks with them, since he knew that he could never allow himself to join them. At the same time, even though he was trying to keep his mind blank so that none of the other vampires would be able to read it. However, for the first time Hogan realized a new truth about himself—one that made him give pause. _I remember what Newkirk first told me—that a vampire is unable to read the mind of another vampire, and vice versa. Since I was thinking about rescuing Carter, this is all my fault! If I had just forced my mind to stay blank, none of this would have happened._ Of course, Hogan realized that this only presented a new predicament in and of itself. On the one hand, he knew that he needed to think about what to do with Allerton, Metzger, Amsel and Nacht. But on the other hand, if he came up with a plan, there was no doubt that one of the others would be able to immediately know what he was thinking. Hogan allowed just the faintest of smiles to cross his face as he thought of the old saying that _I can't win for losing!_

…

Back inside the barn, Newkirk and Carter were still working frantically to free themselves from the chairs that Hogan had tied them to. Unfortunately, it seemed to be of little use as they found that the ropes seemed to be tied thicker than the metal bars that had held them locked up in Faust's cell.

Fortunately, there was one thing that seemed to relieve their anxiety. Since they didn't know if they were out of earshot or not, Carter and Newkirk knew that they had to play along with Hogan that he had been lost to the dark side. Even though he didn't want to say it, the corporal thought that he had seen Hogan give him the faintest of winks as he was tying him up.

"Well, this is a right bloody mess we've gotten ourselves into," Newkirk told his friend, as he twisted his body and his arms trying to break free. "If only me pencil sharpener wasn't so far away from me 'ands, I would be able to cut our way free. I do 'ave an idea, 'owever, so I'm going to try it and see what 'appens. Once I get free, I'll be right over to 'elp you."

Carter could only turn to face his friend, watching with complete astonishment as Newkirk's skin began to turn white. _It never fails to amaze me_ he thought to himself. Suddenly, Carter heard a faint rustling sound and he watched as Newkirk's wings began to emerge from his back. Fortunately, the corporal's plan was working like a charm. As the wings emerged, Carter watched and Newkirk felt as they were strong enough to cut through the ropes that were holding the corporal hostage.

Hurrying over to help his mate, Newkirk swiftly removed his 'pencil sharpener' from the collar of his tattered RAF jacket, after making sure that he had drawn his wings back into his body and his skin returned to its normal color.

"You better take this," Carter said, taking off his jacket and handing it to Newkirk, seeing that both his jacket and his shirt were shredded. "We can't exactly have you walking around half-naked, after all," he added, trying to hold back from blushing.

"Thanks Andrew," Newkirk replied, quickly putting on the jacket. "Now, if only we knew where the Colonel and the others were 'eading, so we could stop them before something bad 'appens."

Newkirk shot his friend a quick glance, filled with unspoken words, thoughts and emotions. Both men knew that even if Hogan's original plan was to fake turning to the dark side, his emotional side was still a complete roller-coaster. One minute he seemed to be calm and composed; the next, he was lashing out at everyone in sight. Both of them hoped that since he was now a full-fledged vampire he would quickly learn how to control his emotions. At the same time, they knew that now he was even more of a danger—not only to himself, but to everyone else around.

…

As Hogan and the others continued their journey, at least one of the bad vampires was beginning to suspect that something was amiss with their newest recruit. Outwardly, Hogan tried to make himself seem as committed as possible to his latest "mission," which was to convince the others that he truly was a part of them now. Inwardly, however, was another matter entirely. Hogan felt that he was being pulled between two opposing forces, each with their own agendas for the Colonel. He knew that he could _never_ allow himself to abandon his men, or his operation. At the very least, if he had avoided telling Hochstetter that he was Papa Bear, even at the expense of the Gestapo Major's life, he knew how imperative it was that he continue to safeguard his secret. However, Hogan felt the other force spring to mind as soon as he thought about that fateful event that had recently happened in Klink's office. He remembered feeling two emotions that day; one of which was immense satisfaction, and the other complete guilt over what had happened. _I'll never allow myself to do such a disgusting act again!_ he silently swore to himself. However, he was unaware that at least one of the others had been reading his mind and had heard this thought, as well as every single thought that the Colonel had held ever since leaving the barn.

Before he had the chance to think further about it, Metzger silently told the others to stop, and he turned in his tracks to face Hogan. Cutting to the chase, Metzger's green eyes stared daggers at the Colonel while he sinisterly informed him, "We know that you're faking this whole thing—being one of us." Before Hogan had a chance to respond in the negative, the sergeant held up his hand so that he could continue speaking. "But why? Why are you fighting against what you truly are?"

"Because I am _nothing_ like you!" Hogan shouted. Still, ever since he had left the barn there had been a growing doubt in his mind that had been preying on him, and wouldn't let him rest. _But what if I am? What if this is what I'm truly supposed to be?_ he worriedly asked himself. Still, he shook his head to get those thoughts out of his mind.

However, his slight movement did not escape unnoticed by Metzger, who inwardly smiled to himself. _We are beginning to have the Colonel right where we want him_ he thought to the others.

Allerton then took the opportunity to speak up. "We know what you did to Hochstetter…and we know how much you enjoyed it."

Before he could be quieted, Hogan quickly shouted, "But I didn't!" He found that even though he had tried to shake the event from his memory, it was like a bad penny in that it wouldn't let him be. _But I did, damn it. I bloody well did!_

"But only for a moment," Nacht added at the same time that Hogan was silently thinking the exact same words to himself. "You see, the psychic link between us has already started, which means that you are beginning to lose it between your two men. Of course, you don't really need them, do you? You know that they're trying to turn you into a 'humane' vampire; a vampire that steals what he needs to survive, instead of taking it whenever you want. You're a hunter and a Colonel. You didn't get that way by letting others decide your life for you, did you? No, you rose through the ranks by taking charge of your own life, and your own destiny."

"Yes, but what does that have to do with anything!" Hogan exclaimed, though there was the same voice in his head that found that Nacht's rhetoric was beginning to make sense. _I could be happy and satisfied all of the time, if I stole fresh blood from humans instead of taking cold, stale blood from the hospital. I would always be able to feel the way that I did when I was killing Hochstetter- the same amount of pleasure and satisfaction, the same euphoric feeling that only comes from taking it directly. I've never felt freer, more like myself in this life or my earlier one._ However, in his confused state, Hogan wasn't aware of the fact that these thoughts were not his own. Nacht, along with the other three, were subtlety force-feeding him these emotions through their own telepathy, but making it seem like he was having these thoughts on his own.

While Hogan grappled with 'his' thoughts, the men turned to themselves and smiled. They knew that slowly but surely, they were gaining control over the Colonel and that it was inevitable that he would become one of them.

Next, Amsel took his own turn as he began to control Hogan. "If your men were truly your friends, they would want you to feel the same euphoric feeling that you experienced when you were killing the Major _all_ of the time. After all, just because something works for one vampire doesn't mean that it would work for another. They don't accept you the way that you are, which is a problem that you would never experience with us. You would never have to experience any anguish, any guilt, any conflicted emotions or desires if you were one of us."

In unison, all four men said what they knew would finally turn the tables in their favor. "You _know_ what you _want_, and we can guarantee that it will be given to you. An eternal lifetime of happiness and satisfaction is yours for the taking, all you have to say is…"

"Yes," Hogan said, slowly and softly at first as though he was unsure of what it was that he wanted. As before, there were two voices in his head, and each one was vying for his attention. _Robert, you can fight this! Don't give up on yourself or your men! You know that they can help you, if you continue to let them!_ The other voice seemed to be winning, and taking over the Colonel's mind. _You're tired of your guilt and your anguish, aren't you? You're tired of having to pretend to be something that you're not, which _is _a blood-sucking monster._ _You don't have to feel that way anymore Robert. If you go with these vampires, you can finally be free. Go to them—you know how much you want it._ Suddenly, before he could think further about it, he quickly added, "Yes! I want what you four have. I can't stand having these conflicted emotions any longer! I want to join up," he added, and for once, a genuine sweet, twisted smile appeared on his face.

The others could only look at each other with their own twisted smiles, knowing that, unlike before, the Colonel really was as good as theirs.

Suddenly, all five men heard what sounded like a faint rustling noise coming through the woods. Even though Hogan froze in his tracks, he was somewhat stunned to see that Allerton was quickly approaching the source of the sound.

"The moon is fullest in May," Allerton said, hoping that it was the contact that he had been waiting for.

"But the sun is highest in June," the contact, an associate of Tiger's, replied. Realizing that it was safe to emerge from the trees, the contact walked forward. However, she was immediately stunned to see that Allerton wasn't alone.

"I thought you said that you were going to come alone," she said, shifting her glance between Allerton and the others uneasily, as though she was ready to make a break for it at any moment.

"There's been a slight change of plans. You see, these others are agents-in-training. I told them that it would be ok if they tagged along with me on a simple mission," Allerton replied, completely lying through his teeth. Taking the contact by her slender hand, Allerton led her to Hogan. "I think you should talk to this one first. I trust him the most, and he is one of your fellow countrymen."

"Oui, d'accord," the contact replied, still completely uneasy about the entire situation. As Hogan slowly took her hand in his, a fleeting part of him thought that it was very similar to how he had once held Tiger's hand recently. However, that part of him was long gone, as the vampiric side of him knew what he wanted from her, and couldn't wait to bite into her neck.

It was all over in a couple of short minutes. The biting, the screaming, the sucking all felt second-nature to Hogan, as though he had been doing it for years. Even though she tried to break away, he steadfastly held onto her, even forcing her down on the ground in the exact manner that he had once done to Hochstetter. As Hogan continued the act, he could feel his desire increasing for the necessary substance, and every other thought rapidly vanished from his mind except acquiring more blood, and having his entire body drowning in the euphoric sensation that only the fresh blood could provide.

Once it was over, Hogan stood up, the same smile appearing on his face as had crossed it after disposing of the Gestapo Major. Hogan realized that the act was almost an exact repeat of what had happened then, except for one unfortunate and marked difference: this time, there was nobody around to remove any sort of guilt or recognition of the act in his mind. Instead, he found that all he wanted to do was to repeat the act over and over until he was full to the bursting point.

An hour later, another contact appeared at a different spot in the woods to make contact with Allerton, and Hogan found that his wish had been granted.

…

Outside of the barn, two figures had been making their way through the woods, trying to find their commanding officer by following his thoughts and brain pattern. They knew that Hogan was having a hard time controlling both his emotions and his desires, and they found that they were furious at themselves. In addition to Hogan's own thoughts, they were able to easily pick up on those of the others, and they could only imagine the actual conversation that was taking place. Suddenly, both men realized what Hogan had just done, and as if that wasn't bad enough, that he had lost himself enough to repeat the act.

Carter tried to keep back the tears that were building up inside his eyes, even though he knew that it was a losing battle. At the same time, Newkirk could only hold his head in his hands, shaking it back and forth as though willing that the two separate acts had not occurred.

"Blimey; just bloody blimey!" he swore under his breath, loud enough for Carter to hear while still trying to keep an eye out for any patrols. Turning to face his friend, Newkirk saw that for the second time that night Carter wasn't ashamed of letting the tears fall freely down his face. Before he could raise his own hand to wipe them away, Newkirk slowly did the act for him. He knew how important it was that he help his friend with his grief, especially since he didn't want Carter to blame himself for not making a break for it when he had the chance after Allerton had untied him.

"It's ok if you want to cry too, you know" Carter managed to get out through his sobs, since he knew that losing the Colonel had to be affecting Newkirk as must as it was affecting him.

"At least one of us 'as to be strong—not that you aren't," he quickly added, unless his friend get the wrong impression about himself. "Look, it's nobody's fault except those damn vampires! They tricked and brainwashed our Gov'nor yes, but they forgot one _very_ important thing," he added with more determination than he had felt in months.

Turning to face his friend, Carter could only look at him quizzically. "And what would that be?" he asked.

"Us."


	16. Chapter 16

Due to ongoing medical issues, this author gratefully acknowledges and thanks her ghostwriter, Sierra Sutherwinds, for helping me to continue the story.

Chapter 16: Reclaiming

Carter followed Newkirk as close as he could. Running through the forest was nothing new or hard to do but the sergeant was still overwhelmed by the thought of the colonel giving up so willingly. His heart was heavy and soon, he had to stop. _Newkirk, wait!_ he thought to his friend, mindful of the fact that there might be German patrols around and now, more than ever, neither man could afford being caught.

_We can't. The colonel needs us now._ He did not sound tired. However, there was apprehension in his voice. _We're late already, I know but there must be something that we can do. We won't lose him like this, not to them!_

As they got closer, the waves of erratic thoughts became stronger. They hid, assessing the panorama.

Hogan and Allerton hovered over a body on the ground. There was another body nearby, a young woman. Carter suppressed a gasp. Newkirk squeezed his arm as a way of reassuring him. _He's out of control, but we aren't... _He crawled to a better position behind the trees. He could see Nacht and Amsel but Metzger was not in sight. That was not good.

"What's the plan, Newkirk? They haven't felt us yet."

"This is going to be painful, Carter. Get ready." Newkirk placed himself against a tree and produced his pencil sharpener from the inside of his jacket collar. Without much of a thought he threw it intentionally towards Nacht's left eye.

The scream was agonizing. Carter took that as a signal to move forward. He jumped as high as he could to land in front of Hogan. The colonel was startled. He had been too distracted by the bloody feast to even think of his men still looking for him.

Allerton was not that surprised, though. He had been monitoring their progress almost since they left the barn. He smiled gently to the sergeant. "Have you come to your senses, boy? I still have a place for you in my team."

"Not a chance in hell!" Carter stepped back. He would not initiate a frontal attack against an older vampire, much less, against his sire. He turned to Hogan. "Please, sir. You know which side you want to be on."

"It's too late—he has already made his choice," Allerton smirked.

"'E 'asn't spoken for 'imself, Allerton," Newkirk said landing next to Nacht. The poor vampire was on his knees still in too much pain. Newkirk claimed his knife out of the man's socket and in a wink of an eye, placed himself behind Allerton. "Are you ready to pact? Let the colonel go, and you'll live one more day."

Allerton laughed. "All these years as a vampire have not made you wiser, Benjamin."

Newkirk grinned. He kept his knife on Allerton's back while sending a fist backwards with his free hand. Metzger growled in agony when his nose broke. "I wasn't born yesterday. You're getting too predictable, Metzger."

Carter took advantage of the small confusion to push Allerton against Newkirk's knife. The blade was too small to cause too much damage, but the pain was enough to disable him for a moment. Carter grabbed Hogan's arm. "Come, let's get out of here!"

"Why?" Hogan claimed his arm back. "This is a good place to be."

"What? But, Colonel, we have to-" Carter managed to get out, still in shock at seeing his commanding officer behave in such a manner.

"Get a grip, Carter. I'm changing sides, can't you see? We're not friends anymore." Hogan grinned as he punched the sergeant on the face that sent him down to the ground. "In fact, you should be lucky that I don't kill you here on the spot!" he shouted, his green eyes as wild as ever.

Metzger grabbed Newkirk by the neck while Allerton punched him on the stomach. The blows came fast one after the other to prevent Newkirk from retaliating. He fell down too. Allerton took the knife out of his back and crouched next to him.

"I believe this is yours." He grabbed Newkirk by his hair and pulled his head backwards. He opened Newkirk's neck with the knife and looked at Hogan. "You are one of us now? You need the strength. Come, drink, and show me your loyalty."

Hogan felt weird inside. The euphoria of drinking human blood was slowly fading away. He wanted to fight against the guilt. He did not know those two people he had just killed. They were like shadows passing through the night, serving to his purposes to fulfill his selfish satisfaction. But this one here had been his friend for years. They shared both the good and the bad times, saving each other's lives more times than he could remember... But, he had killed already. There was no turning back from there. He knelt down. _It's only blood, don't look at his face, it's only blood...  
_  
"Colonel..." Carter whispered as though keeping his voice for Hogan only, "don't."

"Don't listen to him. He likes to whine. That's what he does best." Allerton sank the knife deeper into the flesh. Newkirk moaned. Metzger laughed.

Hogan came closer. He was thirsty, he was ready. He touched Newkirk's forehead and could not avoid his gaze. His intense green eyes were locked on him—green meeting green. There was no fear or hate. In Newkirk's eyes, Hogan saw only forgiveness.

"No!" Hogan jumped back. "This is not the way. I don't want to live like this!" Still, there was something in him, something that still wanted to drink from his corporal. Leaning forward, Hogan could smell the warm blood trickling from his corporal's neck. Suddenly, a flashback came to his mind of when all three of them were locked up in Faust's cell. He remembered feeding his men willingly—and he couldn't stand the thought of feeding from them against their will. Without allowing himself to think twice about it, he kicked Allerton away from Newkirk. "You leave my corporal alone, do you _understand_?" he shouted.

Carter had already recovered his strength and threw himself against his sire before he could react. Metzger came to help but Newkirk grabbed his leg, sending him to the ground. Hogan felt Amsel charging from behind. He stepped to one side and received him with a punch on his stomach.

Newkirk pinned Metzger but he was too weak to hold him much longer. The recent blood loss, on top of what Carter had done to him earlier, was beginning to affect him, though he fought against it with all of his might. Fortunately, the wound was rapidly beginning to heal over. However, Metzger sent him several feet on the air from one push. Newkirk crashed on a tree seconds before Metzger continued to punch and push him.

Hogan was already behind him punching the man on the spine with enough strength to break a vertebra or two. Metzger growled in pain before turning and striking Hogan on the chest and face.

Carter was still struggling to keep Allerton on the ground. His sire still laughed at him.

"What's your plan? You never had what it takes to be a vampire. You're my biggest disappointment indeed." His eyes glowed. "I regret having turned you. I should have allowed you to die right there in the hospital. You, good for nothing!"

Carter hit him in the face over and over again. "At least, I would want to have a choice! If the most good that can come from my turning is keeping my Colonel safe from the likes of you, then so much the better!" He reached for Newkirk's knife and in only one motion, he stabbed the man, his sire, straight in the heart. Carter fell down backwards. He sat there just realizing what he had done.

Nacht was still blinded by the blood in his eyes but he could hear the gasps around him. "W-what happened?"

"Metzger!" Amsel screamed with rage while charging against Carter. "That bastard killed Allerton!"

Hogan intercepted Amsel and threw him to one side. He got Carter. "Are you all right?" He shook his shoulder and pulled him up on his feet. Hogan wanted to take him away from Allerton's body, looking at the waves of shock that were beginning to cross his sergeant's face.

"You're dead!" Amsel stood up only for Newkirk to pin him down on the ground.

"Carter, colonel, get out of 'ere!" Newkirk gasped. "Run away and cover your ears!"

Hogan got the message. He pulled Carter and began to run. Amsel and Nacht, being younger vampires did not understand as fast as Metzger. He only needed to see Newkirk's eyes to know what he was about to do. He looked around. Amsel was on the ground and Nacht, although on his feet, was completely blind.

Metzger heard the first note of the Scream of Death and a pair of wings quickly appeared from under his shirt, which was becoming rapidly tattered. He flew low enough to pick up Nacht and fly away in a matter of seconds. Newkirk's scream traveled with the wind throughout the forest.

Carter and Hogan stopped running but neither uncovered their ears just yet. At the other side of the forest, Newkirk kept screaming until Amsel was reduced to ashes. Then, he sat back and waited. He was exhausted. He wished he could have taken all four vampires at once. He did not count on Metzger being old enough to have the ability of flight. A sudden thought assaulted him. _Carter killed 'is sire tonight... Colonel Hogan killed two innocent people... Bloody Allerton, 'e might be dead but 'e scored two direct blows on our team. I 'ave to act immediately before our entire operation falls apart!_

Newkirk stood up and took a deep breath. He straightened up while his wings spread on his back. With the wind on his side, he would be at the Stalag right before his friends arrived. They would have to have a good talk as soon as possible.

…

Carter and Hogan sensed that Newkirk was waiting for them upstairs in his quarters. Halfway through the tunnel, Hogan stopped.

"I can't go up just yet... I need time to think." He lowered his head heavy with inner grief and sorrow.

"Colonel, I think we should stay together. We need to talk about what happened tonight." Carter could feel something else growing inside the colonel. He couldn't tell what it was but it did not look good at all.

"You don't see, Carter... I'm sorry for what happened, for what you had to do. But I can't put my feelings into words. I have to stay alone for a while." He turned to the secret room and disappeared. Even though the sergeant wanted to be there for his colonel, he felt like he had to respect his wishes for some privacy.

Newkirk sensed Carter coming upstairs. The sadness in the youngster's heart was heavy on Newkirk as well. They had been together for many years now. But this seemed the kind of suffering reserved for one. He turned to see him. They did not need words.

"Are you alright?"

"I don't know... I feel lost... and free at the same time..". He sat on Hogan's lower bunk and rested his head in his hands. "Why did Allerton have to do that? He shouldn't have to cause so much pain..."

"'E's gone, Carter. 'E won't 'urt us anymore," Newkirk replied, tentatively wrapping his arm around his friend.

"But the colonel... He's lost, Newkirk. Everything we worked so hard to build is gone..."

"No, it isn't. You saved 'im... 'E'll come around, 'e 'as to..."

Carter shook his head. "Newkirk, he's not all right. I'm afraid that his guilt is bigger this time—much bigger than it was when he killed Hochstetter."

"Where is 'e now?"

"In our secret room..."

An alarming thought quickly crossed Newkirk's mind. "Did 'e 'ave 'is gun with 'im?" The look in Carter's eyes answered him. He ran out of Hogan's quarters and towards the tunnel without a real idea of what he was going to find or what he would do. _Keep the others away! I'll fix this once and for all._

Hogan paced around with the gun in his hand. In his mind, he recreated the events one by one. He remembered how he passed from merely pretending to be on the dark side, to actually killing two innocent people. The remorse had not fully kicked in until he arrived back at his barracks. Just to think of facing his men made him sick with shame and guilt. He caressed his pistol while he tried to figure out what his next step should be.

"The only path you should follow is forward." Newkirk entered slowly and carefully. "Things are still going well, no matter what 'appened."

"No matter? I killed two people tonight! They were innocent! Agents who worked with us! How do you come back from there? I let myself go into the darkest side of my soul!"

"But you're still 'ere. You're still part of us!"

"Didn't you hear what I said? Didn't you see what I did?" Hogan came closer. "I've killed, Newkirk... and I liked it. I enjoyed every bloody minute of it!" His despair took most of his breath. "I can't go back. It's too late. It's just too late for me" he barely whispered, fighting to hold back the tears in his eyes.

"No! It isn't! You spared me life out there. You could 'ave drank me blood but you didn't." Newkirk kept his eyes on the pistol. Hogan kept it very close to his chest. "No one made you stop. You stopped on your own account."

"And that makes me a hero?" Hogan chuckled. "I'm a pathetic excuse for a leader. This is over, Newkirk!" He raised the pistol.

Newkirk threw himself against him and snatched the weapon from Hogan's hands. "No, sir! It's not over till I say so." He aimed at Hogan. "If you want to die, it's your choice. But first, you'll 'ave to take this from me." He put the pistol on the table and grinned. "Come and get it... sir." This last word came through his teeth.

"Why are you doing this?" Hogan straightened up as though preparing to engage combat, his glance shifting between his corporal in front of him and the gun on the table. "What's in this that you want so much?"

"Basically? To end with this nonsensical war once and for all," Newkirk began to pace around. Both men faced each other. "I've fought many battles before and I've always been on the winning side." Newkirk tried to ignore what had happened during the American Revolution, however, since that was neither here nor there. "I thought this wouldn't be the exception. I don't believe it is! I still believe we 'ave a good group 'ere and the best leader available!"

"You're hilarious, Newkirk. If you insist on having me in this team, you're going to lose!" Hogan prepared to attack. "How can I lead you anywhere in the state I'm in!"

Suddenly, they clashed in the middle of the room. Hogan insisted on grabbing the pistol while Newkirk would try to stop him. One slap of Hogan's hand and Newkirk flew across the room. Without giving him any chance for regrouping, Hogan attack again. He kicked Newkirk on the ribs and the spine with so much force that he made him scream.

"You're holding back, why!" Hogan shouted.

"Why do you want to do this? Why do you want to 'urt yourself!" Newkirk tried to stay awake, as the constant battle after battle was really beginning to take its toll on him.

"I hate what this has done to me! I wasn't like this! I was a good man, always doing the right thing!" One kick came along with every sentence. Newkirk had to curl up and protect his head with his arms. Both physically and mentally exhausted from the outburst, Hogan turned to the table. "Just go away. Leave me in peace. I have to do the right thing."

"And what would that be, sir?" Newkirk crawled to protect the gun on the table. "Leaving us without a leader? Or betraying the many agents that depend on us to do the sabotage? Or your family? 'Ave you thought about what would become of Tiger and the babies without you, their father? I grew up without mine, it wasn't pretty." He grabbed Hogan's legs and threw him on the floor. "Get back to your senses, sir! Up there is a man that put 'is life on the line for you tonight. 'E just killed 'is creator! 'Is sire! And 'e only did it for you! Why? Why do you think 'e would do such a stupid thing!"

Hogan struggled to get up. He pushed Newkirk against the wall. The Englishman hit his head and lost balance. Hogan charged and grabbed his head to bang it against the floor over and over again. "I don't care! I'm not worth it! Dammit, Newkirk, what does it take to make you see that there is no good in me anymore? Sure, I may have stopped myself this time, but two of those bloody vampires managed to get away. What will happen if they decide to come back for me? I won't let myself kill anybody innocent EVER AGAIN!"

This time, Newkirk did not retaliate. He laid down staring at his commander officer getting the pistol in his hands. "You didn't kill me out there, why?" Drained off, he could only whisper.

Hogan stared at the pistol. "I don't know... I didn't feel like it, maybe?"

"Maybe you just realized that your life would be meaningless in the other side... That there is still so much good you can do to waste everything for one moment of weakness..." Newkirk sat up slowly. He could barely stay awake. "When you crouched down, I wasn't scared to die because I knew you wouldn't do it... I was so sure because you still know 'ow to do the right thing... I knew and so did Carter. And if 'e thinks you're worth it... and I do too... you've got no business on taking your own life, Gov'nor... because we need you... there's still a lot to do and we can't do it without you..."

"Newkirk, I'm not good..."

"Do you 'ear yourself?" He chuckled. "I don't think you even believe that anymore..."

"I killed two people tonight... how could I live with that?"

"The same way we do, Gov'nor... day by day," Newkirk straightened up and smiled. "Another scar in our backs." He leaned his back against the wall. "You don't live over a 'undred years without making 'orrible mistakes... collecting regret after regret... But as long as the tip of the balance is on the good side... we've got to go on... we've got to keep trying..." Newkirk remembered the countless people that he and Carter had killed, and that the grand total was three dozen. He was more than qualified to know exactly how his Colonel felt, and how much inner turmoil he was in at the moment. As he slowly got up, the pain was subsiding. "You just keep in mind all those soldiers that come looking for us to send them 'ome safely. All the agents that depend on our operations to carry on with their missions... If you quit now, everything will be lost... and what good would it do to us, then? You feel guilty? Redeem yourself by staying alive and 'elping others to live..."

Hogan stared at the pistol and put it back on the table. "How long will it take for me to feel better about myself?" he asked barely above a whisper.

"Time is not our concern any more... we 'ave plenty of it... I'm still working on me own image." Newkirk smiled. The internal injuries were healing fast. He saw that the colonel was about to leave. "Aren't you going to take your gun with you?"

Hogan turned and chuckled. "Do you trust me with it?"

"As long as you don't aim it at me?" He shrugged. He tossed the pistol to Hogan.

"Thank you, Newkirk," said Hogan tucking it in his belt.

"Thank you for choosing us over them, Gov'nor."


	17. Chapter 17

Once again, basic outline courtesy of Sierra Sutherwinds- thanks and appreciation.

Chapter 17: Ghosts and Secrets 

It rained that night; steadily and noisily. _In a way this weather is completely fitting_ all three men thought to themselves. _It matches how we're feeling on the inside._ Carter and Newkirk both sighed to themselves, remembering how much they used to love the sound of the steady drops falling against the roof of their barracks. This time, however, all they wanted was for morning to bring a new day; a new opportunity to make things right not only with their Colonel, but in the world against the rest of the Schwarzen Engels as well. They couldn't believe everything that had managed to happen in only the space of one night. What had started out as a relatively simple mission for LeBeau and Carter to blow up a new ammo dump in Hammelburg had turned into the worst night of their lives, especially for their Colonel.

As Hogan made his way to his quarters, he was still inwardly shaking after his fight with Newkirk. He could not stop thinking of how easy it had been taking all his frustrations on his friend. All he knew was that he was thankful for the fact that his corporal was already dead, or undead, since otherwise he feared that he might have given him a concussion or some seriously broken bones. _And here I was talking about how I didn't want to kill anybody innocent. Newkirk didn't give up on me, no matter what I did to him or how I treated him. Maybe he should have…_

Looking down at his hands, he noticed how red they were. Rubbing them together, he had to stop immediately as he winced at how sore they were. He wondered how Newkirk would be enduring their confrontation. He chuckled, as he thought to himself _better than me, I hope._ He put his gun on his desk and climbed up to the upper bunk. There were still a few hours left before roll call. Feeling completely exhausted from the ordeal of the past several hours, all he wanted was to grab as many hours of sleep as possible, knowing that Schultz would soon barge into the barracks. _At least some things never change_ he thought to himself. _But why can't the rest of the world go back to being the way it always used to?_

Hogan laid down on his back, staring at the ceiling. It was a ceiling that he had stared at countless number of nights, and it had always looked the same. Bare, wooden, just like every other ceiling in the barracks. Tonight, however, it looked different, almost as though it was darker than usual, and foreboding. _Or maybe it's just because I _feel _different_ he thought to himself. The barracks were never dark at night because of the security lights outside. The sentry tower kept a vigilant eye over them every five or six seconds. He closed his eyes but his brain was still replaying his fight with Newkirk, as though it was mocking him. _Brutal._ Things kept getting out of hand lately... Should he say he was sorry? Did he really care? He was not even sure if he was grateful for the corporal's intervention. He did not want those words that had come from him to make him feel better... He still felt like he wanted, perhaps even deserved, punishment for his actions... He still wanted to die.

"Who is stopping you?"

HHH

Newkirk climbed up the ladder to find Carter playing Solitary in the dark. He could sense that the other men in the barracks were asleep, so they wouldn't question how the sergeant could manage to see in the dark. Most importantly, he knew that they wouldn't notice his green eyes shining lightly, or the fact that he seemed to make almost no noise. Newkirk almost had to suppress a sigh, knowing that of all the things that his friend was, quiet was not one of them. His movements were so fast that by the time Newkirk sat down, he had managed to complete four games.

_Keeping your mind busy, that's good_ Newkirk thought. Carter barely smirked, or bothered looking up for that matter. His mind, and his eyes, was still concentrating on the game that lay before him. _How are you?_

_Hanging in there_ Carter replied after a couple of moments of silence, though he finally felt like he could look his friend in the eyes._ How's your head?_

Newkirk smiled. _It's still attached to me shoulders. Did we keep you awake?_ Newkirk asked. For a brief second, a frightening thought crossed his mind. _'Ow did you know that we were fighting? If you 'eard the commotion, maybe the others 'eard it too._ He knew despite everything, appearances still had to be kept up among the other men in the barracks. They would never understand that vampires existed, and the last thing that he needed, with his Colonel being in the state that he was, was for them to misunderstand and organize some kind of lynch mob against the three of them.

Carter could only reply _I sensed some of it, but we really need to try to keep the Colonel's voice down. Some of the men were awakened by the shouting, and I will admit that I did have to do some crowd control, that it was nothing more than a rather rough mission, on all of our parts. I don't think they'll ask any questions—they know how hard our missions can be at times. _Answering his friend's other question, Carter could only hang his head again, before quickly forcing himself to look up._ I keep myself awake._

Newkirk could only look at his friend for a couple of moments, trying to understand the turmoil that he was in. For a brief moment, he thought he saw one single tear running down the cheeks of his friend. _Sorry you 'ad to go through that._

He shrugged, and he tried to make it look nonchalant. _It's not like I killed my father, but it hurts—it hurts really bad... I don't get it, Newkirk. Why did he have to be so mean? Can't they see the evil they're doing? At first, when he didn't leave me in the hospital, I was relieved that I was going to have a second chance at a life of some sort. Why did he have to turn out to be evil? I should have realized that if war broke out, he would end up trying to recruit me into his fold. I hate him! I hate him for what he did to me, and for what he did to the Colonel. We both tried to kill you tonight—I'm so sorry Peter. For everything._

At first, Newkirk could only look at his friend, hoping that his admission might just be empty words. He knew that hatred, true hatred towards anybody, was always the first step in being led into the dark side. He could only hope that Carter wasn't having second thoughts about the act that he had done to Allerton, and that even in death his sire didn't have a hold over him. However, Newkirk could only sigh to himself, once he finished looking into his friend's soul. He knew that there wasn't any true hatred present—only grief and misery.

Putting an arm around his friend to comfort him, Newkirk could only shake his head back and forth. _It's a mystery. Evil keeps growing everywhere. That's why we need all the good people we can get._ Turning to look his friend in the eye, the corporal continued _And Carter, I don't want you to forget for even one minute that you're included in this group. Like the Colonel, you were able to stop yourself before any permanent damage was done. Plus, you just 'ave to remind yourself that Allerton was like a bad drug—something that looks good, but really isn't. After all, the only thing that you should be addicted to is blood_, Newkirk said, hoping that a small joke might lighten the tension that he knew was present in his friend._ I promise you, we're going to get through this together!_

Carter turned to face Hogan's door. _How about him? He's still struggling. I know that my feelings over Allerton will disappear—that good for nothing! But the Colonel…it's going to be different for him…  
_  
Newkirk could only sigh, hoping that giving his Colonel the gun was the right thing to do. _We've done as much as we can. We've shown 'im the path we've followed from the shadows into the light. 'E knows that we've killed, but we're still right 'ere, and most importantly, we're 'ere for _'im._ Now, it's up to 'im to fight 'is own demons and choose wisely._

Suddenly, a slightly fearful look crossed the sergeant's face. It was a thought that he knew he didn't wish to speak or share, but one that was imperative to get off of his chest regardless. _What if he doesn't? What if he chooses the evil side?_

_Then, we lose 'im,_ Newkirk shrugged painfully but resolutely. Thinking to himself, the corporal continued, _But I've said it before, and I'm saying it again. It really is going to be over me dust that I lose 'im!_ Turning to face his friend, Newkirk knew that he shared in his same steadfast resolution by the small smile that had appeared upon his face.

HHH

Still laying in his upper bunk, Hogan turned to face his desk. "Who's there?" he asked barely above a whisper. He saw a woman staring intently at him. She was young and dressed in simple dark clothes. Her hair was pulled back in a pony tail and under a black beret. She was pretty.

"Don't you recognize me, Colonel?" She smiled, half seductively and half sadly. "We just met this evening."

Hogan's eyes opened wide and he sat up. This was the first agent that they had met in the woods. It was the first person that he had killed. "Am I losing my mind now?" he asked, half to himself and half to her.

"Good question. Are you?" she replied, not moving from where she was seated in his chair, which had been turned around to face the bunk.

Hogan kept quiet for a moment. "Why are you here?" he finally asked.

"To help you figure things out," she smiled. "Don't you want to know why you killed me?"

"I know why," he shrugged. "I'm not in denial. That's not my problem."

"Oh, but we know what your problem is," she said, getting up from his chair and walking over to stand before his bunk bed. Her eyes were almost level to his, and for a brief moment Hogan thought he could smell a whiff of perfume radiating from her body. "You tasted evil and you _liked_ it."

Hogan shook his head. "Tasted evil and I hate myself." He leaned his back against the wall. "I'm telling you, if you're here to lure me into the darkness, you're a little late. Been there, done that. I'm over it." Hogan let his head drop to his chest, and without realizing it he began to wrap his arms around himself, rocking back and forth as though he was shutting down within himself again.

"Glad to know. Why am I here, then?" she asked, folding her arms in front of her chest. Her gaze never left the Colonel.

"I thought you were gonna tell me," he barely managed to get out; it was more of a mumble than anything. Without looking up, he found that he was still rocking back and forth.

"You just said that luring you into the darkness is useless." She shrugged, almost as though that last sentence meant nothing, or everything, to her. "But I'm still here."

Hogan took a deep breath, forcing himself to look at the specter that was still standing in front of him and to stop his rocking. "So, you must be a figment of my imagination." He laughed. "I fell asleep. You're my nightmare, or perhaps another one of my visions, if indeed I'm capable of having them. Not that it matters one way or the other—you're still here."

"Nightmare? Am I so ugly?" she asked. "But if I'm a vision, hopefully it's a _lovely_ one," she practically spat out that word, "lovely."

"You're not at all ugly..." Hogan frowned. "In fact, you're very pretty... and young."

"I was twenty-two." She smiled. "I knew that my work in the Underground would be dangerous, but I was willing to risk it all for the sake of helping the Allies to win. I don't know any agent who hasn't thought about how he or she was going to die. Though, I must admit it was quite a surprise knowing that _vampires_ exist." Again, she said that word with sarcastic emphasis.

"What do you want?" By now, Hogan just wanted her to leave him alone. He just wanted to fall back asleep and be left alone with his thoughts. He almost had to chuckle to himself, however, knowing that those wouldn't be any prettier than what currently lay in front of him.

"Turn twenty-three... get married... have children... kiss my mother on the cheek tomorrow morning..." she replied, taking her delicate fingers and running the strands of her hair that weren't tied up in the pony tail. For the first and only time, she let her gaze fall from him. "Do you think she'll ever find me? Do you think she'll ever know what happened to her daughter? I never told her that I was an agent. She'll probably think that I was killed in an air raid…" she let her voice trail off, though she was still playing with her hair. Her eyes fell upon him again.

"Stop!" Hogan closed his eyes, shaking his head back and forth. "I'm so sorry...What else can I say? I'm sorry!"

"Are you?" Turning around, she picked up the gun that Hogan had left on the table. Staring at it contently, she began to caress it. "Why don't you show me how sorry you are?"

Hogan sighed. "This is a dream... a bad dream. I'll wake up and everything will be all right."

"But I'm still here. You close your eyes and you still see me." She smiled. "Don't you get tired of fighting against yourself? Don't you wish that you could stop living with your guilt and turmoil?"

"Tired? That's not the word I'd use." Hogan shook his head. "I hate myself and I hate what I did to you, but there's not much I can do now, is there? You're dead. Please, just cross over to Heaven and let me be!" he practically begged of her.

"But you're still alive," she replied. "And after what you did tonight, do you really think that your God would accept you?"

Hogan closed his eyes. "Do I have a choice, as to whether I live or not?" Suddenly, a new thought was beginning to form in his mind. He had always been the religious kind, the kind that turned to Him in his times of utmost sorrow and grief, who always prayed for his men whenever they were about to partake on a dangerous mission. He wasn't sure where he would end up if he decided to take his own life, though he was aware that people who committed suicide usually didn't end up in Heaven. However, for the moment, he didn't even seem to care about that. At the moment, he almost wished that Faust would have killed him while he was locked up in his cell, instead of changing him into the man that he currently was. _Or is it monster?_ _What's one life, when I have taken three?_ he asked, feeling depressed with himself.

"Yes, you do." The voice had changed. Now, there was a man standing in the same place where the young woman had currently been, and now she was standing beside him.

Hogan looked at him. This was the contact that had come after the girl. Here was another innocent victim. "Do I need to tell you that I'm sorry too?" His voice was tired and troubled, almost gravelly. Looking into the eyes of his victims drained all of the remaining energy from his spirit.

"My wife waits for me tonight. She waits for her Jonathan. She never goes to sleep until I come back from a mission." The man spoke calmly. "I didn't expect to be attacked and murdered like that, though like Molly here, I know the dangers of my work. Did you enjoy it?"

Hogan found himself gasping for air. What kind of question was that? Of course he did not... or did he?

"Honestly? I don't know." He was growing more depressed and desperate by the second. "I never knew that I could be capable of causing so much pain. Sorry is not even the word I should be using." He hung his head again.

"And you think that's enough for us?" The man stared at him with disgust. "You can't fix what you've done. As a vampire you may possess certain abilities that us regular humans don't, but not even you can bring us back from the dead."

"What else can I do?" He shouted. "I can't feel anything else but pain! There is nothing left for me to do!"

"What about this?" The man deliberately pointed at the pistol. "You were about to use it not so long ago."

Hogan shook his head. "No, my men would never forgive me..."

"What do you care about your friends? You don't listen to what they say, anyway. They keep telling you what to do but their words are empty. They keep telling you that they can help you, but all you ended up doing was killing us and joining those other vampires instead. You don't care. It's you against the world, isn't it?" The man laughed. "Take this and put an end to all this madness."

Hogan came down from his bunk. He stared at the gun on the desk for what seemed like an eternity.

"What are you waiting for? Why are you still alive? You're just a monster, aren't you? You don't believe in what you do, but killing is the best thing that has happened to you in a long time," both agents spoke at the same time. "Do you _really_ think that you can change your entire self into a 'humane' vampire? No, you don't, since you know how much you love the taste of fresh blood."

Hogan heard their voices in his ears and felt them in his heart. Those were the same words that he had been chewing inside, ever since he had returned with Carter to their Stalag. Maybe those voices were right. Maybe his men would be better off without him. He took the gun in his hands. He walked over to his door and locked it. This time, neither Newkirk, Carter, nor any of his other men would be around to keep him from doing what he knew to be right…

"And then, what?"

Hogan stopped, and quickly turned around from the door. That voice was very familiar. It was a woman's voice. "Tiger?" He looked at her. She was pretty, dressed in the same clothes she was when they met for the first time. He remembered that meeting well—how surprised he was to find out from LeBeau that Tiger was actually a woman, and how she was brave enough to volunteer for the dangerous mission once she had heard about him and his operation. "What are you doing here, Marie?"

"I don't know, you tell me." She stayed by the window. "Why are you thinking of me just when you're about to end your life?"

He shrugged. "Maybe because you're the most important person to me and I'd like to see you one last time."

"How convenient, isn't it? Your path finishes here and mine without you only starts. Why are you doing this to me? Why do you hate me so much?" she asked, and Hogan could plainly see how visibly upset and shaken up she was.

"I don't hate you, don't say that." Hogan stared at her. Words never hurt him so much. "I love you more than life itself." He was only able to whisper that last sentence, knowing how true it was. It completely contradicted with what he knew he had to do, which caused his glance to shift between the gun in his hands and his future wife before him.

"Which, by the way, you're putting an end to tonight." She smirked. "So much for an everlasting love."

"Marie, listen. You've got to understand. Tonight... things went wrong. I was bad, I-"

"I know what you did. I'm part of your own conscious remember?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "You took two lives and this is your way to make an amendment. I hope it makes you feel better."

"It's not just like that. It's me. I gave in, I crossed the line and I killed. I can't go back there." Part of him wanted to hold her forever, hoping that his love for her, and hers for him, would take away the shame, the guilt of what he had done. That same part was hoping beyond hope that love was indeed stronger than darkness, and that being with such a caring, compassionate woman would wipe away any residual darkness forever. Still, part of him felt that at this moment, the gun in his hands was his real and only friend.

"Then, don't go back. You have a choice," she pointed out to him, as her own glance shifted between the gun in his hands and her would-be husband.

"I did and I chose wrong." Hogan sat at the desk caressing his gun. "I let them talk me into evilness, into doing things that I would never picture myself doing in a hundred years. It was so easy... I was so weak."

"It was not about weakness. Those are the powers they have. If you don't believe me, just ask your sergeant. You don't see him trying to take his own life, do you? They have their weapons and used them against you. That doesn't mean that you're with them now."

Hogan looked at her. He wanted to believe that. But he still hesitated. "I was weak."

"No, you weren't. They tried to take Carter, but you are the one they need the most. You're a Colonel, a leader. They were hoping that you could lead them to victory. If they can't have you on their team, they'll come after you and destroy you. Next, your men… and then they'll go after me."

That was not good. Certainly, the Schwarzen Engels were still out there, lurking somewhere in the darkness of the night. Their only purpose was to get Hogan and his team down. Their only purpose was to eliminate any threats that stood between Germany and its victory in the war.

"Newkirk will protect you." Hogan did want to believe on his own words. "I trust him to the ends of the earth." He knew that Kinch would have his hands full as the leader of their operation. However, all along he knew that even though his corporal was the worrying kind, and the one who was last to volunteer for any of the truly dangerous missions, he had always seemed like the kind who could be a leader in his own right. He had always been the one to watch out for his friend's backs. He had seen it recently in his man, as certain events had undoubtedly proved.

Tiger could only counter, "He might not be able to do that. Once they find you've taken your own life, they will want revenge. Your men aren't prepared for that. They need a leader—and I'm not talking about Sergeant Kinchloe either... But you'll be dead."

"I don't know if I can be a leader anymore... I'm scared. I could hurt someone else... One of my own." Hogan felt himself shuddering at a sudden thought that crossed his mind, even though it wasn't cold inside the barracks. He remembered the horrific nightmare that he had experienced after he had killed Hochstetter, where instead of the Gestapo Major's body that was lying on the ground, it took turns being each member of his team.

"We're all scared. We're all vulnerable to evil. Don't you understand how your men felt after they killed Magerlein?" she asked, watching Hogan shake his head back and forth. She took this as meaning that it was necessary for her to continue, "They felt a great deal of power and satisfaction."

Hogan could only look at her wide-eyed, as the truth began to sink into his mind, "You mean, they actually _enjoyed_ it, same as I?" he gasped. All he could do was stare at her, as she slowly nodded her head.

"Same as you, but don't you see? They've learned to live with themselves—they know that killing, for the absolute most part, is wrong. They also felt a great deal of shame—same as you. If you let them, they will continue to help you. That's because we stay together. We can survive this. We can win, Robert." She touched his hand and smiled when he looked at her, his own green eyes meeting hers. "You'll be there for me, as much as I'll be there for you. You fell down, mon amour. It's time for you to get up and be there for your men. It's time for you to be the 'humane' vampire that I know you can be."

HHH

Hogan came out of his quarters and through the barracks, looking for the night's fresh air. He found Newkirk and Carter contemplating what was left of the early morning rain.

"Colonel," Newkirk greeted. "All is well?"

"As expected," Hogan shrugged. "I had a conversation with myself." He knew that he didn't want to get into specifics about the specters, but he didn't see the harm in letting them know about Tiger. "She was there too, in a way," he said, realizing that they would know who he meant by "she."

"Indeed? And what did you two talk about?" both men asked at the same time, hoping for a spot of good news.

Hogan allowed himself to sigh before replying. "We agreed that I should give myself another chance."

"Your self is a wise self. Tiger's too." Carter nodded in understanding. Looking over at his friend, he could see a smile breaking out on Newkirk's face.

Suddenly, Hogan straightened up. For the first time, he felt with all his senses. There were two men around, which he could tell by the almost imperceptible noise that they made. Not only that, he could even tell they were Kinch and LeBeau, which caused him to frown.

"What are they doing outside at this hour?" He turned to Newkirk and Carter. They just shrugged and smiled. "There's something funny about them tonight, isn't it? I suppose LeBeau is still shaken up by his recent kidnapping, but that should only mean that he should be in his bunk, sleeping."

"Well, they're been funny for a long time, sir," Carter said, blurting out the information before he could fully realize what it was that he was saying. He remembered the conversation that the four of them had once had when he had also blurted out that he knew that Kinch and LeBeau were shape shifters. _Our secrets are our own, so we knew you would tell us when the time was right._

Suddenly, he realized what it was that he had just hinted at, and his hand flew up to his mouth, before he made himself quickly drop it. He didn't have to look at Newkirk to know that the corporal was probably _very_ annoyed at him, though of course this expression wouldn't be visible, so as not to produce any more hints to his commanding officer.

_You and your ruddy big mouth!_ Newkirk exclaimed, restraining himself from giving his friend another punch in the arm. _We've barely gotten the Colonel to come to 'is senses, and then you 'ad to go and make a 'int like that!_

Newkirk could see that Hogan was looking between both of his men, trying to decipher the meaning to the cryptic clue that Carter had just informed him of, and why the sergeant thought that it was necessary for him to cover his mouth for a brief, yet visible moment. Even though it was only a couple of seconds, it gave Newkirk time to think about what he should say next. _Then again, maybe it's time that the Gov'nor knows what and who they are. It might 'elp 'im if 'e knows that we all 'ave our secrets that we've been trying to protect—that we all 'ave the capacity to be something other than who we are. I know that Kinch and LeBeau's condition is 'ereditary, and they've never 'ad any darkness lurking in their souls. They're quite different from Klink, who's still struggling to control Eagle, day in and day out. Still, the same can't be said of Louis' ancestor…_

"Like what?" Hogan asked after the couple of seconds had passed. He knew that there was more to the story than either his corporal or his sergeant were letting on, and he wanted to get to the bottom of it. He knew that it might have been easy to read their minds, but he decided that this wasn't quite the thing to do. _If I want them to protect my privacy at times, then the least I should do is the same for them._ Still, due to their psychic link, he was beginning to have an inkling about what it was that his sergeant wanted to tell him.

"That's something you'll 'ave to ask them, Gov'nor." Newkirk crossed his arms and turned to head back inside the barracks. _I can only 'ope that our friends forgive us for 'aving divulged their secrets without their permission._ He quickly glanced over his shoulder to look at his friend, and he could see that Carter was still slightly shaken up for having opened his big mouth—again. _Blimey, it's a wonder 'e's been able to keep the secret of Nimrod for so long._ Suddenly, another thought occurred to him, though he didn't know if it was one that he should put into action or not. Trying to shield that second thought from both men, all he could think was _Carter, maybe the Colonel needs some more 'ints._ With that, Newkirk finished walking inside.

"Just keep your mind open." Carter tried to help with a clue. "It's the moon, sir." Looking up, both Hogan and Carter realized that it was almost full. At the same time, the sergeant was slightly surprised that his friend seemed to have given him the go-ahead to proceed with divulging the secret of Hogan's two other men. Like him, he could only hope that he would be forgiven for hinting at such information.

Hogan did not understand at first. _What did the moon have to do with Kinch and LeBeau going out at this hour?_ he thought to himself. Suddenly, the realization of the truth hit him. He placed one hand on his forehead and sighed. "Oh, no. Not them too. Please, don't."


	18. Chapter 18

Basic outline courtesy of Sierra Sutherwinds- thanks and appreciation

Chapter Eighteen: Origin of the Secrets

Hogan found himself walking inside the barracks after roll call, slightly in a daze and rubbing his forehead. He knew that he shouldn't be surprised by the news that Carter and Newkirk had just informed him of, firmly belonging in the supernatural world himself now, but he couldn't help feeling a small sense of shock. _First them, then Klink, then Tiger? I swear—is everybody either a werewolf or a vampire around here? Next thing my men are going to tell me is that Schultz is actually an extraterrestrial._ Hogan could sense that the answer to his question was negative, which made him feel slightly relieved. Suddenly, another thought occurred to him. _Well, at least nobody can say that I don't know how to pick them!_ he chuckled to himself. _Still, we're definitely going to need a talking to about this_ he thought while slowly shaking his head back and forth.

Walking into his quarters, Hogan found himself leaning against his open door, waiting for his men to emerge from the rain. He knew how important it was that appearances be kept up, so he was glad that most of the other men in the barracks had decided to pass the day in the recreation hall. _I need a private place to talk to them—ALL of them._ He was hoping to avoid a confrontation between his men, not knowing how they would react. After all, he was well aware of how his men usually handled such revelations—how scared and mistrusting both he was when Carter and Newkirk revealed themselves, and how the act was almost repeated when he had to perform his own revealing to Kinch and LeBeau. This time, however, he was hoping that things would be slightly different. _At least the "revealing" part is already done and over with. I just hope that it was the right thing for Carter and Newkirk to do._

All he knew was that the subject was going to be a sticky one. They had been together for years, through thick and thin. They had put their lives on the line for each other more times than he could even remember, from dangerous missions to even the more routine ones. _All this time, they've been keeping secrets from me. _Hogan knew that he would have to carefully watch their reaction if he wanted to get to the bottom of the truth. Worse than the secrets was the fact that it turned out that he was the only one out of the five of them who was upfront, sincere and completely honest. Not long ago, he had had a huge talking with Newkirk and Carter about being vampires under cover and now, he had to go through the same with Kinch and LeBeau. Once the initial shock had come to pass, Hogan found that he was growing slightly perturbed.

The four men entered the barracks in their usual noisy manner, still slightly dripping from the rain. They looked easy going, with no care in the world. For the first time since the previous evening, even Newkirk and Carter seemed to be more at ease with themselves. Only Hogan knew that deep inside, they were wondering about their colonel's sudden by-the-book attitude.

"Gentlemen, take your seats, we need to talk," Hogan said, looking all four of his men straight in the eye as he left his post by his door to pace around. He kept his tone neutral, a calm expression in his face and he even dared to smile once.

Newkirk had a bad feeling in his gut. However, he didn't try to take advantage over the other members of his team by reading his superior officer's thoughts. _Whatever the Gov'nor 'as to say will be said soon enough_ he thought to himself, sensing Hogan's emotions. Carter stared at him and nodded his head in agreement.

Hogan cleared his throat. "I've been informed about the presence of wolves around the camp. In fact, I saw two of them recently when I was coming back from an arranged meeting with Tiger. One of them even had the…shall we say… audacity to jump up on me." He turned to see their reactions.

"Wolves? Wow," Carter said.

"As you know, wolves are very dangerous creatures and we can't take any chances with them. Of course, Newkirk, Carter and I can protect ourselves. I guess," he said with his eyes on the vampires. "But I'm very concerned about you two, since you're human," he said, turning to face his men directly. "Kinch, LeBeau, from now on I want you to go armed at all times when going out. I'm even going to suggest to Schultz that he should shoot to kill when he or his men spot any of those beasts."

"Shoot to kill!" LeBeau asked, almost standing up. "But they're nice creatures, almost like dogs. They are not causing any harm." The corporal could see his commander staring at him, wondering how he would know such information. LeBeau had to keep himself from swallowing the growing lump in his throat before he could explain himself further. "I mean, sometimes I see them when we're out performing missions, but they always seem to leave us alone."

However, Hogan could only shake his head back-and-forth, steadfast in his resolution. "As I said before, I can't afford to take any chances. I need to protect the weakest members of my team."

Newkirk snorted and Kinch glared at him.

"We're not weak, sir! We can take care of ourselves, right Kinch?" LeBeau turned to Kinch, hoping that his friend would back him up on his assessment of the unfolding situation.

"It's all right, Louie, he knows," Kinch grinned. _There's something different about the Colonel this morning, about his aroma. Knowledge always smells different than ignorance._

"Knows what?... How?" LeBeau looked around at the other's faces and frowned. "Carter! Ah, potin! [1]

"Hey, don't go French on me!" Carter replied. "I couldn't lie to him. He's the colonel!"

"Knowing you, you and your big mouth probably let it slip out!" LeBeau shouted furiously, standing up and staring his friend in the face. For a brief moment, green eyes seemed to meet yellow. "Whatever happened to the 'Our secrets are our own, so we knew you would tell us when the time was right' part of our conversation?" For another brief moment, Hogan could have sworn he could hear a low growl emanating from his corporal, and that he quickly spotted his sergeant's fangs.

"Ok, so I made a slip-up!" Carter angrily had to admit, standing up to meet his friend's gaze. "But the Colonel could sense that you were outside in the early morning hours, and he wanted to know why. So I couldn't lie to him!"

"And he's right here, so stop talking about me like I'm not." Hogan slammed one open hand on the table. "Enough. Carter, Newkirk, go outside, I have to talk with the furry members of this team. But first…" he said, looking between both Carter and LeBeau, "I don't want to see any fighting amongst the members of my team. 'A house divided cannot stand'."

Hogan allowed a very small smile to appear on his face as he could see LeBeau reaching across the table and shaking Carter's hand, with both saying a sincere "Sorry."

With that, Carter and Newkirk turned to shuffle out of the barracks. Hogan's gaze never wavered from his two men in front of him, but instead he waited until he heard that one of his men had closed the door behind them. "All right, then."

"Colonel," Kinch said first. "I'm sorry; we were planning to tell you about this."

"Oh, yeah? When, at the end of the war? We're all waiting for our respective transportation. 'Nice to meet you, good working for you and by the way, we're werewolves'?"

"It doesn't sound too nice putting it that way," Kinch shrugged.

"But we tried... several times. We were going to tell you when we approached you in the woods that one day, but then you told us the good news about Tiger, and…" He let his voice trail off before he could continue, "It's just that so much has been happening lately." LeBeau could not hide his sadness. "I'm sorry."

Hogan sat down. "It's okay. We're not going to lose our time with any more fighting. Let's have a new start," he shrugged. "So, how did it happen?"

"How did what happen?" LeBeau asked, sitting back down again.

"Our origins? They're a little different from each other." Kinch said, also sitting back down and leaning his elbows on the table. "We're descended from werewolves. My story, for instance, begins over fifty years ago.

"My grandfather's name was Romulus Lowell. He was the seventh son of Josiah Lowell, who was a seventh son too. Romulus got his freedom from being a sharecropper in Louisiana back in 1873. He worked hard to make a decent living, to get a nice house and a piece of land. He had everything he had longed for almost all his life, including seeing the end of slavery. But he still missed his family. They had been separated during the war, and he didn't know where they were, or what had become of them.

As he looked for his brothers and his mother, he discovered other things about his family that he did not know. Josiah had died under strange circumstances. Romulus tried to learn more about his father, but the more he looked the less he found. Eventually, he quit looking for the truth. He went back to his land and lived peacefully. Then, he found love.

To him, Juanita Duncan was love at first sight. He was so mad about her that after a while, he could not conceive his life without her. She corresponded to his feelings and could not wait to start her life with him. Unfortunately, that year was a poor one for growing crops and Romulus lost almost everything he had invested in. He still had his house, but things were a little tight for a while. Since he was a bit on the optimistic side, he didn't completely mind until Juanita's family intervened. Although they had been more than happy for the new couple, the turn of events in his financial situation didn't please them a bit. They persuaded Juanita that Romulus would not be the stable, successful husband that would support her. He found himself alone and poor. Money was nothing for him without his Juanita."

Kinch paused, allowing his commanding officer to take in everything that he had told him so far. During this time, Hogan could only nod to what his friend was telling him. Sighing, the sergeant continued, knowing that what he had to say next was extremely important.

"Then, one night, he experienced strange changes in his body and mind. Suddenly, he was stronger, faster and full of energy. He could hear things and scent aromas that he never could before. It's a power that all werewolves have, as well as their ability to track their prey." Realizing that he had gotten slightly sidetracked, the sergeant continued, "But his physical appearance made him terrified. He stared at the mirror while he transformed. Before his eyes, the man disappeared into a wolf. He ran to the forest, he killed like a beast and when he was satisfied, he fell asleep. The next morning, he woke up praying for everything to be a bad dream. It was not."

It was then that Hogan took the opportunity to interrupt. "When you say that he killed, did he ever kill any humans?" he asked, barely above a whisper.

"That night he killed two people, a young farm couple that was late getting home from running some errands in town," Kinch said, hanging his head as though in shame for his ancestor's actions.

Looking up, the sergeant went on, "He locked himself at home. He did not come out for days. Besides having lost his love, now, he was losing his mind. He felt low and desperate, and he hated the fact that he had taken the lives of two innocent people. For a while, he considered taking his own life—ending everything at once. He did not know what else he could do at this point.

His last night as a regular human being before the next full moon, Romulus had a visitor. This gentleman did not give him any name; he just came in and sat with him. The conversation was casual and nonsensical until the stranger mentioned Romulus's condition.

'Your family has been cursed,' he told Romulus. 'It started with your father, the seventh child in his family, and now it's yours to bear.'

Romulus wanted to understand but he was too scared. When the stranger mentioned the word werewolf, he did not know if he should laugh or cry. The entire story did not make any sense at all.

'I'm here to help you and give you a choice.' The stranger smiled maliciously. 'You have two situations that have disturbed your entire existence. I can fix one of them, but you have to choose which one.'

Romulus nodded. He was that desperate that he wanted to listen to this stranger.

'I offer you money or love,' said the stranger. 'You need to tell me which one you want the most. But before you give me your answer, you must know what is at stake here. You're a werewolf, Romulus. You'll transform into the beast from now on. However, I can take that away from you.' The strange man almost laughed. 'Choose the money and I'll lift the curse. You may choose the girl, but then, your condition as a werewolf will never go away.'

Romulus would have liked to have time to think about it. But he knew that by choosing love, Juanita would be his forever, and there was nothing else he wanted more in the entire world. The stranger seemed more than satisfied. He went away never to come back, and Romulus never learned the identity of the strange man.

The curse has run among my family ever since. Fortunately, after generations have passed, we've learned to perfect our transformation. We're able to shift into werewolves at will, and the full moon has no control over us, unless we want it to. The legend reminds us where we have come from. I knew what was waiting for me years before it happened, thanks to the forewarning of my parents. It was not a surprise when I first transformed on my fifteenth birthday." Kinch smiled dreamily and warmly as he remembered. "I never felt so free in my life." It was then that Kinch threw a sideways glance at his friend, who was beginning to understand what the sergeant wanted to say. Nodding his head, LeBeau gave him permission. "Perhaps, if Klink ever has a son…he'll be better suited to manage his condition as well."

At first, Hogan could only glance between both of his men, though by now he felt that he was incapable of being surprised—especially after having heard the origin story that his sergeant had informed him of. Slouching forward, Hogan rested his head in his hands momentarily before quickly straightening up. "I suppose it only makes sense that if you're werewolves, you would be able to scent that Klink is a werewolf as well….Do werewolves smell differently than humans to you?" he asked of them, wanting to know if Klink would also know what Kinch and LeBeau are.

"Yes, they do," both men replied at the same time. Taking the lead, Kinch spoke up, "Since vampires were once human, they only smell different from them during the first couple of hours that they've been changed. Trust us, sir—you do _not_ want to know how badly the stench of living death and decomposition smells. We might have known that you were a vampire sooner than when you told us, but you must have been traveling with Klink long enough for the stench to wear away."

However, with each new answer Hogan seemed to have thought of a new question. "How did you know that I was traveling with Klink?" However, neither of his men had to answer until the simple truth sunk in. "You two must have been looking for me also, I'm assuming. Thank you." Hogan had to almost gasp to himself, proud that the thought of being angry at his men for keeping him from losing his humanity hadn't even crossed his mind. _I suppose I've finally learned to control my emotions_ he proudly thought to himself. "Does Klink know what you two are?"

"We're not sure, but we suspect that he may," LeBeau answered. "Fortunately, he doesn't seem to be causing us any problems, even though he must pick up our lingering scent outside of the camp when he goes on his own runs. It's in our blood—no shape shifter can resist the call of the wild; the moon and the trees up above, the soft, sometimes rocky ground beneath our feet, and a million scents and sounds, unable to be noticed by humans, all around us. We can hear the faintest scurrying of a rabbit, or a bird high above us. We can hear the voices of the German patrols or of the underground agents, even if they're nowhere in sight. It is like no other feeling in the world" he said, the pleasure evident on his smiling face.

Hogan thought of his unborn daughter. He would love to see her proud and happy with what she would become. He also knew how the nighttime made him feel. He remembered feeling completely unsure of the new strength and power in his legs when he was out running with Newkirk and Carter, and how odd his night vision seemed to him at first. Looking back, however, he found that he had completely enjoyed the moment.

He also suspected that even though Kinch and LeBeau had never before informed their Colonel of these powers, they must have been using some of them all along, even in their human form. He smiled to himself thinking how incredibly fortunate his men were that they had never been captured by the patrols or the Gestapo. Now, however, he was certain that his two men must have been keeping each other, as well as the team, safe from harm. _Their abilities, along with Carter's and Newkirk's, will certainly come in handy during future missions._

He turned to LeBeau. "How about you?

The corporal smirked and shrugged. "My story is a little different than Kinch's. My family's bloodline goes further back, to the eighteenth century. My ancestor Etienne de Belmont lived in Gévaudan with his wife Genevieve. He worked as a meneur des loups; some kind of trainer. Sometimes the nobility would buy his wolves to add to their menagerie; other times farmers would rent them to control the rabbit population that would eat their vegetables. He worked and lived with his wolves because he loved them.

Then, the killings started during the year 1764. A young woman was found mauled in the woods. Word was quickly spread among the population that it was the work of a wolf. People were scared, since wolves had never come out so viciously. Every day, another body appeared and panic quickly became widespread. Within three years, there had been over one hundred people mauled, including the deaths of sixty-eight children and another thirty people were injured.

The fever for hunting wolves grew, and many beautiful animals were killed. Etienne knew that his friends were not responsible for the attacks and he tried to stop the madness. He went to the forest one night determined to find the killer. In the light of the full moon, he saw a creature. As it came closer, he could feel something familiar about it.

The creature did not resemble any of Etienne's wolves, although it looked like a big dog. Its fur was gray, almost silver, but it walked on two legs and its hands had five clawed fingers. Etienne followed it for a while from a safe distance and saw it kill a cow before running away back into the woods. There were shots from the nearest farm but Etienne went back home immediately.

The next morning Genevieve didn't get up early to cook his breakfast. She was still in bed when he went out. The town was overrun with news about the beast, and how it had come too close to the Renoir farm. Antoine Renoir, a respected elder, was sitting at the Place Centrale telling his version of the story. He had shot the beast and at least one bullet had found its target. In his wagon, he proudly displayed the body of a wolf and everybody congratulated him. For that day, Antoine Renoir became the local hero. He had killed the beast.

Etienne came back to his wolves, feeling angry and sad. At least, none of his wolves had been hurt. They welcomed him with joy, as always. He spent the day with them and by the end of the afternoon, he came back to his house.

Genevieve was cooking. She could barely stand on her right ankle. She tried to assure him that it was nothing more than an accidental, yet nasty fall. However, a strange feeling overcame Etienne. He went out again that night and saw the beast almost in the same location where he had seen it the previous night. It was walking on its two legs but noticeably limping from its right side. This time, however, Etienne noticed that the moon was no longer full.

My ancestor wasn't a superstitious man but he had heard stories and legends. He woke up very early the next morning and went to a nearby gypsy camp. The old lady, Maleva, took him to her wagon. He told her his story and she laughed.

'Your wife is a loup garou, my son,' she said. She told him that there wasn't much he could do except for one thing. He had to meet Genevieve in her wolf form at midnight in the forest. He had to be brave enough to draw some blood from her. If he did everything correctly, she would be cured from her illness. But they could never talk about that or what had happened with anyone ever. If this one rule wasn't obeyed, he would turn into a loup garou himself.

Etienne stayed and worked with his wolves all day long. He was determined to save his wife from being the beast and his wolves from being unjustly accused. That night, he went to the forest with a small knife, where he waited until the beast appeared. As he came closer, she attacked him. They fought for a while and he stabbed her in her chest. Feeling exhausted from the struggle, he lay down in the forest and turned to one side. His wife was next to him, as lovely as always. The curse had been lifted.

He took her home and minded her wounds. They would live happily ever after. The beast was gone." It was here that LeBeau sighed, knowing what would come next in telling his ancestor's story. As before, he noticed that Hogan was listening with rapt attention. "However, he didn't count on the male villagers, who were still after the beast. The fever and paranoia surrounding the wolf killings had reached his house. They wouldn't be satisfied until the last of his wolves were dead. Fortunately, while he was on the outskirts of the town about to run errands, he overheard one of the villagers talking to another, detailing their plans for his wolves. He hurried home as quickly as he was able to.

Before the men came that night, Etienne talked to his wife and made her promised that she would never talk about the beast or what had happened in the woods. However, he had made sure to leave out the part about the gypsy lady herself. Then, he faced the men and confessed to being the beast himself. Immediately, his body suffered its first transformation. He jumped over the men and killed two before running away.

Legend says that he returned home a couple of times to see his wife. They procreated three sons, and the last of them was a werewolf. He began shifting during the evening of his eighteenth birthday. But this time, he was a whole beautiful wolf, instead of being bipedal, and he was able to control his shifting without it being controlled by the full moon."

LeBeau smiled with pride. "The condition has been in ma famille since then. It might skip one or two generations but certainement, not mine."

Hogan stared at his two men, having listened to both of their origin stories, as well as their abilities. They look happy with what they were. _All this time they had been living in secrecy, with who they really are; being stronger than me._ He was lucky to be such a nice guy. What if they had disagreed with one of his decisions? Hogan shook his head.

"Thank you for never have wanted to rip my head off, guys," he smiled, half-joking and half-serious.

"Maybe yours not," LeBeau said. "But Carter may still be asking for it," he replied, though his anger towards his friend had long since vanished. "Before you ask, we have told them about our own origin stories. Everything that you know, they know."

"Plus, we know all about Stanly and Benjamin," Kinch added, "and all of their own powers. All I have to say is that it's a good thing that we've all passed their 'soul-test'," he said before slightly shuddering. Like Hogan had been in the beginning, he still wasn't sure how he felt about the fact that his two friends were immediately able to tell the difference between a good soul and a bad one. However, in a way it also made him feel relieved. He knew that if Klink truly was a danger to them, Carter or Newkirk would be able to see through it in a heartbeat.

"Guys, there's something else that I need to tell you. Newkirk and Carter know about this, but since I didn't know if you two knew whether or not werewolves even existed, I haven't told you the truth about Tiger….She's also a werewolf." Before either of his men could respond, Hogan held up his hand so that he could finish. "You already know that she's having twins, and that one of them will be a girl. Apparently, her own mother was bitten by a werewolf while she was pregnant with Marie, and her condition will be passed down to my daughter. Fortunately, Marie seems capable of controlling her own shifting, without being a danger to those around her."

At first, Hogan's two other men could only stare at him, though neither one of them was wide-eyed. After thirty seconds had passed, both men wished their commander a warmhearted "Congratulations, sir!"

"She will be tres belle. Between your and Tiger's good looks and personality, she will make for a beautiful and intelligent loup-garou." LeBeau added, and Hogan could see that both he and Kinch seemed elated at the good news.

"Tiger doesn't know that we're werewolves. In fact, we didn't even know until you told us," both men said at the same time.

"I suppose we should have scented that she was one of 'our kind,' but since we were always busy with the missions, we never really had a good opportunity to," LeBeau added.

Standing up from the table, Hogan began pacing again. Turning to face his men, he suddenly sat back down at the table. "I feel like I'm seeing you for the first time, guys."

"I think we feel the same way," Kinch nodded his agreement to his Colonel's assessment.

"Everything's going to be better now that we're all in the same page, mon colonel."

"Unfortunately, that may be 'on the same boat,' Louis."

All three men turned around to face a familiar voice. They could see that Newkirk was leading the way back into the barracks, with Carter taking up the rear. Hogan hadn't expected to see them with a sense of urgency on their faces.

"Colonel, I feel something is going on." Newkirk looked disturbed, and Hogan could see that Carter's face matched his friend's expression. "There's danger in the air." He knew that he still didn't have any right divulging a secret that wasn't his own to Kinch and LeBeau, so instead he looked at Hogan directly. _Colonel, while we were waiting outside—getting nicely soaked, I might add—I received another message from Anne. Unfortunately she was a bit vague on the details, but it concerns Tiger. I think something terrible 'as 'appened to 'er—and it concerns our old friends._

"Kinch, go to the radio and see if everything is all right. I think I have a feeling too. Let's go downstairs." While they were heading down to the tunnels, Hogan could only think to his two vampiric men _If Metzger, Nacht, or another of their organization has harmed even one hair on her head, or cause her to suffer a miscarriage, there's going to be hell to pay!_

Kinch picked up the headphones, listening to the message that was beginning to come through on the other end. Hogan could only hang back and wait, hoping that Anne's vision had been nothing more than a worrisome nightmare. However, the expression on his sergeant's face was quickly proving otherwise.

Handing the paper to Hogan, Kinch immediately knew how he was going to react:

_So we meet again, Colonel Edward. You may have escaped from us once, but next time you won't be so lucky. You see, we had one of our agents follow you to your arranged meeting with the underground agent Tiger. If you ever want to see your beautiful girlfriend alive again, you better come back to the barn—and SOON. After all, you wouldn't want anything bad to happen to her or her unborn babies, would you? We're waiting for you…_

_Metzger and Nacht, Die Schwarzen Engel_

As soon as he had finished reading the message, Hogan began tearing it up into little, tiny pieces. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs, but instead he took some deep, slow breaths, forcing himself to count to twenty.

"I know why they're doing this. They're probably hoping that they can get me back on their side, and that I'll give into my darkness again." Shaking his head back-and-forth, he continued, "But I won't allow myself to be taken in that easily. I know who my _true_ friends are" he said, looking between Newkirk on his left and Carter on his right, "and I know that you won't allow me to kill anybody innocent ever again!"

Suddenly, Hogan's own hand flew up to his mouth. It had been his wish to avoid telling Kinch and LeBeau about what had happened to him recently, but as he looked between the two of them, he saw how concerned and quizzical they appeared to be.

"I'm sure you must have some questions about everything…." Sighing, Hogan knew what he had to say next, "This is going to be a long, and painful, story." Looking at Carter, he could see that his sergeant silently nodded, giving him permission to tell about what had happened to him as well. "You see, it all began after Newkirk and I made our way to rescue Carter…"

[1] Oh, gossips!


	19. Chapter 19

Most of the outline courtesy of Sierra Sutherwinds- thanks and appreciation

Chapter 19: Assembling and Learning About the Team

The day was gray, with temperatures in the 30s, but the man standing just outside of the barn wouldn't take any heed of that. He didn't even remember what it felt like—the blazing heat in the summer, or the winter's biting cold. He had been a vampire for too long. Metzger took a deep breath and took pleasure in what little of the wet earth he was capable of scenting after all these years. It didn't matter. He still enjoyed the rain.

Growls and screams interrupted his reverie, causing him to saunter back inside the building. Things were not going smoothly inside there. _Twenty-five vampires hiding in the same place is an invitation to disaster._ They were restless as they waited for their final confrontation with the Angels. Some had even dared to question Metzger's leadership skills. They would have preferred that he had been the one to die instead of Allerton.

Nacht emerged from one of the rooms, growing angrier by the minute. Metzger glanced at him pacing back and forth as though he was about to explode at any moment. Poor Nacht was not happy since Newkirk popped his eye out. Although it would regenerate in due time, the young vampire still felt equal parts frustrated and furious.

Metzger grinned, his fangs and green eyes clearly showing. "How's our guest?" he asked with genuine interest.

"Fierce." Nacht stopped his stroll to stare at Metzger with his one good, right eye. The patch in his other gave him a more somber look. "I don't think that cage will hold out for much longer. And to think that not only did we capture that Colonel's girlfriend, but she's turned out to be a werewolf as well. This is certainly a small world that we live in." Nacht was well familiar with shape shifters, having previously heard stories from the other members of Die Schwarzen Engel about them. However, this was the first time that he had seen one in the flesh. He had not expected one to be so powerful or strong. All he knew was that thankfully, the cage was built out of the same sturdy material where Newkirk and Carter had recently been kept prisoners. "If Faust hadn't built that cage, we would have a raging werewolf on our hands."

"Good," Metzger nodded satisfactory. "Her anger will lure Hogan faster than nothing else. It's a pity that she can't be lured to our side as easily as it was for Benjamin or Edward. Even though she may not be one of 'our kind,' her powers would have come in handy in our organization."

Nacht, meanwhile, was far from sure. "I still believe that this is a mistake. If we know where they live and how to contact them, why didn't we go there in person? We should have gone there and wiped out everything and everyone. I'm getting tired of this little game of yours."

Metzger's eyes glowed brighter than before. In a movement that took less than the wink of an eye, he grabbed Nacht by the collar and crushed him against one of the barn's walls. He waited until he saw fear in the youngster's face and then laughed. "What do you know about anything? This is not a game. We're up to win this war, as long as it takes. I don't have time for childish outbursts." He let him go, with Nacht giving off a low cough to clear his throat. "Are you with me or against me?"

He was angry as he had ever been. "We'll do it your way, as long as I can get my revenge. They have to pay for what they did to me!"

"You'll have what you deserve, Nacht." His grin was unreadable, yet his eyes suddenly turned as cryptic as his last sentence. Nacht would keep an eye on his back from now on.

HHH

Hogan watched as most of the other men from his barracks slowly and suddenly shuffled inside, since their hour of recreation had run its course. With a simple wave of his hand, Hogan led the way down to the tunnels, where he could continue the conversation that he had begun only moments ago. Even though it only took them a couple of seconds to descend below, it gave the Colonel plenty of time to think about what he had to say next. _How much should I tell them? How will they react? I need them to understand that I'm no longer a danger to them._ Hogan refused to allow himself to think about the two words that he was fearing the most: _I hope._

Once they were in the tunnels, Newkirk quickly found himself a darkened corner and sat down in it, resting his head on Carter's shoulders. Neither man really wanted to hear what their Colonel was saying to Kinch and LeBeau, having just lived it themselves several hours ago. _I almost lost two of me best mates to those ruddy vampires_ he thought to himself.

_Plus, now Tiger's in danger too_ Carter silently replied to his friend, having overheard Newkirk's thoughts. At the same time, the sergeant found that he was still slightly struggling with his own. He couldn't forget that he had almost killed Newkirk. He and the colonel had tasted a slice of the dark side and found it to be terrifying. _The sooner we can eliminate this threat once and for all, the better!...I just hope that the Colonel is up to the task._

_Well, there's always one way to find out_ Newkirk thought to his friend, knowing that he would understand what he was referring to.

At first Carter could only silently gasp to himself, knowing what the corporal had in mind. Silently, however, he decided to give him permission. _The Colonel probably won't be happy about this, but it may be a necessary step. I'm still not very comfortable with this, but we need to know._

With that, Newkirk allowed his green eyes to shine, and he looked at his Colonel directly, studying him with intense scrutiny as though meeting him for the first time. He knew that his commanding officer was probably too busy talking with his other two men to notice the faint, yet distinct tingling sensation that had enveloped his entire body, or the slight chills that were overtaking him. If he did, Newkirk was hoping that Hogan would think that it was just a draft from the tunnels, or a side-effect that came with being a full-fledged vampire.

After ten minutes had passed, Newkirk slowly shook his head back and forth, forcing his eyes to return to their normal shade. However, a smile was quickly growing, and he turned to Carter, satisfied. _As the 'ours 'ave passed, so 'as any residual darkness that can be found in our Colonel's soul. It's not gone completely—in fact, it may never be. After all, that sort of self-control can take months, possibly even years to master. But I don't believe that 'e possesses a danger to any of us, or most importantly, to 'imself._

Carter found that his smile was quickly matching his friend's. _This is wonderful news! It's good to know that he knows who he can trust, and who will continue to help him if he needs it._

_It's good to know that he's ours_ both men thought to themselves at the same time.

During that time, Hogan had been filling in Kinch and LeBeau about the details of their latest encounter with the Schwarzen Engel. At first, Hogan made sure to leave nothing out, starting with his first encounter with Allerton, also known as White Fox, in the hospital when he had first found it necessary to steal his blood. Next, he moved onto how he and the others had found and rescued Williams just in the nick of time before they could do to him what they had done to Jones.

During this time, Kinch and LeBeau found that their eyes were growing wide, listening to what Hogan had to say to them. However, they couldn't know that the worst of it was yet to come. Sighing, Hogan knew what he had to say next, and how much it would pain him. 

Slowly, Hogan began telling his side of the story. "I suppose you both deserve to know the truth—the _whole_ truth. No more secrets." Leaving out practically nothing, he began telling them about how they had been ambushed and then kidnapped themselves, and then being forced inside the barn. He told them how Carter had been tricked by his sire, and how he had assisted in hurting both him and Newkirk. Finally, he ended with the story of how he had killed the two contacts in the woods, how courageous and brave his men were during the fighting, and how Newkirk had finally managed to talk some sense into him and keep him from killing himself. _For the second time recently._

Hogan turned to see Newkirk and nodded. "I allowed myself to be dragged into the darkest side of my soul in a moment of weakness. Next time, it will be easier for me to choose."

Hogan then hung his head in shame, with his arms clasped behind his back. He didn't know how his two other men would respond. _If they've always been able to control their condition, they can't possibly know or understand how it feels to have this struggle within a vampire's soul. How could they comprehend that part of us, the darkest part of us, that always want to feed and doesn't care how we get our blood? But I _won't _allow myself to be like that again!_ he thought to himself in steadfast resolution.

Slowly, Hogan raised his gaze to meet those of his two other men, and he found that they were staring wide-eyed between all three of the vampires on their team. Hogan could sense that they were slightly terrified of him and Carter, which was only natural, given the circumstances.

"Next time? Are you expecting for them to try this again?" LeBeau stared at him warily. Turning to face his friend, he could see that Kinch had the same uneasy suspicions.

"We have to be prepared for anything from them. But I think they're getting desperate. They won't give up. We'll have to crush them completely before they strike again."

Kinch and LeBeau both grew quiet again. They could not take their minds off the idea of having ranging vampires from both sides, let alone the admission that their commanding officer had just made. Kinch spoke up. "Colonel, you know that we're with you here and till the end of the world." Turning to face his friend, he could see that LeBeau nodded his agreement. "But I won't deny that I'm a bit uneasy—first Hochstetter, and now this. I need to make sure that you know which side you're on Otherwise, I won't hesitate on taking you out of the game."

Hogan allowed a small grin to appear. At the moment, he could not be prouder of his two men. "My friends, we're facing vicious creatures here. They know how to play with our minds and where our most vulnerable points are. I won't give in, not voluntarily. If I do, believe me, I'll be as good as dead. I'm going into battle with the certainty that you'll be there to watch my back as well as I'll be watching yours. You know how hard it would be on me if anything bad should happen to _any_ of you. I also know that you would not hesitate to show me your loyalty by killing me if anything goes wrong." He nodded and smiled. "Now, we need a map and a plan. I don't know how much longer Tiger can hold out for."

Getting up from his corner, Newkirk came closer. The battle field was not a problem. They had been there and knew exactly what to expect. "It's the number of vampires that worries me. We're only three."

"And us," LeBeau said with conviction. "We can easily beat four or five of those suceurs de sang."

"What do you call us?" Carter narrowed his eyes.

"Blood suckers, and he's talking about Metzger and his men. Don't take it personally." Hogan leaned forward over the slightly damp map which showcased the barn and the surrounding area. While they were outside waiting in the rain while Hogan had his conversation with Kinch and LeBeau, Newkirk and Carter had quickly made the map from memory. Fortunately, they had worked quickly enough so that neither the guards would notice what they were doing, or before the rain could ruin it. "So, are you sure you can take that many? Vampires are very fast."

"But we have our weapons with us all the time." Kinch smiled. "Fangs and claws. Never fails."

"All right, three vampires and two wolves against twenty-seven vampires."

"Colonel," Newkirk said, cautiously speaking up. "I think we could recruit yet another wolf, if you don't mind us to ask."

Hogan frowned. "I'm not sure if we should. He doesn't seem quite ready to join any team."

Newkirk did not argue. He would not talk anymore in front of the others, though he knew that they would probably realize who he was referring to. He knew it was a long shot, but getting Eagle for their team could make the difference in the final battle.

However, there was one more thing that Newkirk needed to do before he could make his way over to the Kommandantur. Catching Hogan's attention with his eyes, he waved him over so that they could talk together in private. "Sir, I believe I can safely say that I don't think you'll be a danger to us or to your men any more. I 'ope that you'll forgive me for intruding on your privacy, but while you were talking to Kinch and LeBeau, I performed one of me 'soul-tests' on you….I'm proud to say that you passed with mostly flying colors." Even though Newkirk didn't know how Hogan would handle this blatant invasion of privacy, nonetheless the corporal couldn't help but allowing a broad smile to appear upon his face.

Without warning, Hogan quickly reached over for his corporal's hand and shook it. "Thank you, Newkirk. You have no idea how much this means to me, or how relieved I am to hear this. For once, I can't be angry at you for invading my privacy. Again, thank you." Hogan's smile quickly matched his corporal's own.

HHH

Klink stepped outside his office, hoping to see Newkirk around. Sometimes, he hated his position as a double agent. Priorities and loyalties often got entangled in his head. He needed to be in contact with the Allies, but at the same time, he had to keep up both his status and appearance as Kommandant of his Stalag. He knew what awaited him if Burkhalter even found out what he was. After all, he remembered well how they had reacted when they had suspected him of being Nimrod, and the treatment they had shown him before Hogan and Newkirk had managed to throw the trail off of him. It wasn't something that he was likely to forget anytime soon. _At least Hochstetter's no longer a danger to me or any other agent, but I'm not exactly fond of snowflakes either. I can just imagine the gleeful expression on the general's face if he ever found out my true identity._ At the same time, Klink realized that this could be the least of his worries. _What if I was to crack under pressure, and Eagle was to be released? I wouldn't even have a chance to _see_ the Russian Front!_

Walking outside of the Kommandantur, he stared at Barracks 2, hoping that Newkirk would feel his presence and come out._ I need to talk to him. There's something that he has to know, before it's too late!_ Even though he possessed no telepathy of his own, he was hoping that Newkirk would be able to pick up on his strong, forceful thoughts and be able to read them. Long minutes went by. Klink was about to abandon his task when Newkirk opened the door. The rain was constant now and none of them would want to take the first step towards the other. Even though it was a common sight for Hogan to be caught conferring with Klink, it was unheard of for Newkirk to be doing the same thing. They knew that the guards would grow suspicious if they saw the two of them talking together.

Klink nodded once at Newkirk, giving him permission to read his mind. Thinking heavily, he began _I've got some disturbing news today, Newkirk. Hogan must know. It's concerning one of the underground agents..._

Sending a mental message Klink's way, Newkirk responded _Tiger? We already know._

_How? I just received the message right now from one of my contacts._

_We got the message. A nice invitation from Die Schwarzen Engel. Let's just say that they're a bunch of ruddy vampires, working to bring the Allies to their knees. And you know what this means. If they can contact us, they probably know where we live, and most importantly, where we operate. If we don't stop them, it will be only a matter of time before they come 'ere in person and wipe us all out._

_So you suspect that it's a trap?_ Klink asked, with genuine concern in his voice. _The last thing I need is to lose five of our finest agents to those monsters!_

_Quite likely. But you know us—we've been in tight situations before, and I 'ave confidence that we'll make it out of this mess in one piece._

_Do you have a plan?_

The guards began to stare at both men. They looked conspicuous just standing there, with Newkirk at the barracks door and Klink at his office door. The corporal lit a cigarette and pretended to look around. Klink began to scan the area, as though expecting that some of the prisoners would take advantage of the rain and try to make their escape. Seemingly satisfied, the guards moved off to resume their duties. _We are getting ready, but we could use some 'elp._ He glanced at the Kommandant.

_I don't know if I can help you. No one must know I'm with you too. Besides, you remember how Burkhalter behaved when he only _thought _that I was Nimrod. You know what would happen to me if he was to learn the truth._

_Sooner or later, Colonel Hogan, Kinch and LeBeau are bound to find out _Newkirk flatly pointed out, taking a drag on his cigarette.

_On time, maybe. But I was hoping to wait until after the war to reveal myself to them._

_I think now is a bloody good time. Me sources say that Metzger—'e's their leader-already 'as 'is own army. There must be at least twenty-five of them at this barn of theirs. We need claws and fangs._

_Hogan will never accept my help_ Klink said with a tinge of sadness in his voice. Looking down, he had to quickly force himself to look up again when another guard passed by, pretending to scan the area.

_Kommandant, you're our secret weapon. It's your day to shine._

Klink again lowered his eyes while he thought about it. He still did not know if his hesitation was for security reasons, or because he was actually scared. He seldom used his physical strength, never fully knowing if he could trust the werewolf within. He still did not know if Eagle would serve as more of a nuisance than assistance. He took a purposeful breath before looking at Newkirk. _Tell Colonel Hogan that I want to see him in my office right away._

Newkirk smiled and went back inside the barracks. He would push and drag Hogan if necessary, before Klink chickened out and decided not to talk. 

HHH

Hogan entered Klink's office. He was not sure of what to expect. Newkirk did not tell him anything but he suspected that his corporal knew more than he was letting onto. Klink stood by his window, staring out as though he was lost in thought. Hogan's first impulse was to try to read his mind, but he forced himself to stop. _Since I've acquired this ability, I promised myself that I would be discrete and respectful of everyone's privacy. _He cleared his throat.

"Did you call, Kommandant?" he asked, hoping to get the conversation done and over with so that he could get back to planning that night's mission.

Klink turned slowly and smiled. "Yes, Hogan, I think we need to talk."

Unable to hide the annoyance in his voice, Hogan asked "Does it have to be right now? I'm in the middle of something and-"

"You know? When I first enlisted, I was really proud of myself. I love my country and I knew that I would do anything to bring dignity and respect to it. I've fought two wars. I've done as much as I've been asked. I believed in the just cause and that righteousness was on our side." Walking over to his desk, he sat down at it. "I learned to admire our leaders, their strength and wisdom... But, then-"

"Kommandant, I understand your motivation and I appreciate your loyalty. But, as I told you, I don't have time-"

"I think that once you've heard what I have to say, time won't be an issue."

Hogan grew curious. He took a seat and prepared for a speech through Klink's personal Memory Lane.

"As I told you. Our leaders were very persuasive in their exposition of causes and reasons for this war. I was with them. Germany needed to believe in getting its dignity back, especially after it lost so much during the Treaty of Versailles. I wanted to be part of it... Then, I began to hear rumors about witchcraft and superstition, black magic worshiping... I was appalled. I thought that those things were all right for children's stories, but kommandants and generals believing and investing time in it was completely disgusting.

Not to mention, what if those stories turned out to be true? Did you know that back in the late 1920s, Himmler actually believed that children conceived in Nordic cemeteries would inherit the spirits of the heroes who were buried there? He published a list of suitable breeding cemerteries. Not to mention Rudolph Hess, who was known to have consulted with astrologers? [1] I lost faith in my people. I couldn't go on serving under their erratic command. Plus, if Hitler was actually crazy enough to believe those stories, I couldn't take any chances with him. If he knew that I was a shape shifter, what would stop him from performing some sort of crazy experiment on me at a moment's notice? I couldn't trust my life under him, so…" he looked at Hogan, "I switched sides."

Hogan could not believe the meaning of those sentences at first. Klink had presented them so matter-of-factly for him to believe that they were real. Yet, he sensed that his Kommandant was telling the truth. He stared at him warily. "Wow. I knew that Ole Bobble Head and his Krauts were crazy, but I never actually expected them to be _crazy._" However, it was what Klink had said last that hit him especially hard. "But could you repeat that last sentence for me?"

"I... switched sides." Klink shrugged. "It didn't start right away. It was a slow process. One tip here, one hint there... Suddenly, I was providing information to the Allies, telling them about strategies and positions of our troops... plans, new weapons..."

Hogan could only rub his forehead, trying to comprehend and believe what his Kommandant was trying to tell him "But wait. How come I didn't know? No one told me about this."

"Oh, they did. In fact, we've worked together several times." Klink's somber expression softened.

"How?" Hogan frowned. Suddenly, one name came to mind. "Oh, no... It can't be... You?" He saw his Kommandant grin. "Nimrod?"

"Quite a surprise eh?"

"One among a few... But I think this one goes straight to the top." Hogan shook his head, still putting Klink's face on every occasion that they had used Nimrod's assistance. "Things make more sense now. But why now? Why are you telling me this?"

"Well, Newkirk thought that-"

"Wait a second, Newkirk knows?" Hogan was not surprised by that. "All right, I believe that."

"I know about Metzger and what he has done with Tiger. Newkirk thinks you could use my help."

Hogan breathed deeply. He was still regrouping with his new powers, in addition to his two vampires and two werewolves. He knew his men and was able to trust them all. But Klink was completely unknown. Hogan remembered well how Klink had saved him, Newkirk and Carter from Faust, so he knew how useful he could be on a mission. That is, if what Klink was telling him was the absolute truth. "Klink, I'm sorry. I'm not sure if-"

"If you can trust me? I understand. Sometimes, I don't know if I can trust myself. After all, you already know how much of a danger Eagle can be, if he takes control over me. I won't ask again, or beg, since it's your decision, but before you leave I need you to do me a favor."

"Sure, what do you want?"

"Read my mind. Please, I need you to see that I'm completely on your side. My intentions are good and I won't betray you or anyone in your team. Also, as long as my emotions don't get out-of-hand, you know that Eagle won't pose a danger to you. I want you to know that you're safe here in my Stalag." 

Hogan nodded hesitantly. He was not used to reading minds, since he had only done it once before when Newkirk was testing him with the Zener cards. Leaning forward, he tried his hardest to read his Kommandant's mind, but found that nothing was coming to him. Shaking his head, Hogan decided to try a different approach. Almost meditatively, Hogan tried to allow Klink's thoughts to float freely towards him, and he found that this time it was a success. As time passed, Hogan found that instead of Klink projecting his thoughts, he was quickly picking up on being able to read them on his own. He then concentrated and scrutinized Klink's thoughts one by one. There was no foul play on him. If Hogan decided to take him along, Klink would perform his duties like any other member of his team. Smiling to himself, Hogan was pleased with what he had seen in his mind's eye.

He got up and went to the door. "We're leaving at dusk. If you're up to it, meet me in the barracks in two hours. Except, Kinch and LeBeau will probably want to know why you're helping us. After all, they know that the other vampires are working for Germany, so won't it appear suspicious that you're working with us and against them?"

Before he had the time to think twice about what he was saying, Klink quickly nodded his permission. "If necessary, you can tell them that I'm Nimrod. Newkirk and Carter already know, and since you do too now, it might be best if everybody knows."

However, knowing that he was Nimrod wasn't the only thing that Hogan had managed to learn during this mind-reading session. Though he didn't mean to, Hogan knew that Klink was well aware of the fact that Kinch and LeBeau were fellow shape shifters. _In a way, that's good. It means that there won't be any surprises between them._ At the same time, Hogan suddenly realized that he had never actually seen his two other men in their wolf form. _I wonder what they look like, if they're anywhere in appearance as Klink is? I'll have to ask them to shift for me when I get back to the barracks._

Klink stood there, contemplating the door long after Hogan was gone. He wanted to help, since he knew that it was the right thing to do, but still, he was afraid. This would be a huge step outside his comfort zone. If anyone knew that it was him with Hogan, it would be the end of his cover as Kommandant of Stalag 13. _I can only hope that if that scenario comes to pass, Hogan will find a way to get me to England before Burkhalter comes looking for my hide._

HHH

Walking back to his barracks and inside the tunnels, Hogan found that Kinch and LeBeau were still waiting for him.

"Where are Carter and Newkirk? There's something that I need to speak to them about."

LeBeau pointed to the private room, slightly pale at the knowledge of what was going on inside. Walking to the room, Hogan saw that Newkirk had just opened the safe, and that he had taken out two blood bags and set them on the table. However, seeing his Colonel rejoin them, Newkirk reached for another bag before closing the safe. Tossing the last bag to Hogan, all three men easily ripped them open and drank in unison.

"You know, this is the first bag of blood I've drunk since…" Hogan's voice trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

"But that's in the past, and this is the present. Sure, it may never give you the same sense of euphoria that comes from drinking fresh blood, but it still fills your desire, doesn't it?" both men asked at the same time.

Hogan could only nod his head in agreement, allowing a smile to form. "Plus, it does something much more important than that. It may be a little stale, but it fills my soul. It allows me to be the humane vampire that I want to be, and that I know I can be….But that isn't why I came in here." Deciding to get right to the point, Hogan asked, "How long have you two known that Klink was Nimrod? I understand how important his secret must be to him, and how hard it must have been for him to finally admit it, so I'm not going to ask you why you didn't tell me. But the first question still remains."

Sighing, Newkirk began telling what he knew. "I've known almost as long as I've been 'ere. It was something that I picked up on when I read Klink's mind and discovered that 'e was a werewolf. But while we were in Faust's cell, we 'ad plenty of time to think things over. Carter 'ere was worried why Klink wouldn't turn us in if 'e knew that we could slip in and out of camp as we please, so I 'ad to tell 'im."

Hogan nodded, agreeing that what his corporal had just told him of made perfect sense. "Thank you for being honest with me guys. Now, there's something else that I'm curious about also, but this concerns Kinch and LeBeau. I want to know what they look like in their wolf forms."

Having drunk his fill of the necessary substance, Hogan walked back into the tunnels, and straight up to Kinch and LeBeau. Since he knew that time was of the essence, again he decided to cut to the chase. "So, what exactly do you two look like in your wolf forms? I'm so used to seeing you as humans that I'm very curious."

LeBeau and Kinch could only exchange glances, a smile breaking out on both of their faces. "We thought you'd never ask," Kinch said. Turning away, he led the way into the room where they stored their uniforms.

As they quickly undressed, LeBeau voiced his thoughts. "I can only hope that mon Colonel likes what he sees."

Hanging up the clothes, Kinch replied reassuringly, "I'm sure that he will."

As they both began to experience the convulsive transformations of changing from man to wolf, both men found that they had to stifle their screams to low moans. They could only hope that between Klink and Tiger, their commander knew that the transformation was a painful one and wouldn't be concerned about them.

Waiting outside the private room, Hogan watched as both the bigger, darker-furred Golden emerged, leading the smaller, lighter-furred Loup. Since he was no longer surprised by what he saw, Hogan could only smile at the sight that lay before him. Both wolves were wagging their tails so vigorously he thought that they might fall off of them. _They were right when they told me how free they were. They look so happy with what they are._ Suddenly, before Hogan could respond, Loup jumped up on him again, much the same way that he had once done after his commander was coming back from his meeting with Tiger. This time, however, between the strong wolf instincts and the happiness that were both flowing through his body, Loup couldn't resist giving Hogan a big, wet lick on his chin.

At first, Hogan appeared slightly surprised by what his corporal had just done to him. However, the shock didn't last very long. "Down, Louis," he gently ordered him. Loup quickly obeyed, and got down on all fours. However, he quickly began jumping around Hogan, as though he wanted to play with him.

Golden, disapproving of this whole display of wolfish instinct, quickly walked up to Loup and gave him a quick nip on the tail to reprimand him. Before Hogan or his other two men could understand what was happening, Golden and Loup began jumping at each other, chasing each other around the tunnels, almost knocking Carter over when Loup went to hide behind his legs. Suddenly, Golden pounced on Loup, issuing a low growl from his throat. However, Loup could only respond by licking Golden's muzzle, and Golden couldn't help but reciprocate. The two wolves then laid down side-by-side, looking at Hogan and the others while their tails continued waving 180. Then, just as suddenly as they had emerged from the private room, both wolves walked back inside. Kinch and LeBeau emerged a short time later.

"So, what do you think of Golden and Loup?" Kinch asked.

"Thank you for this glimpse of what you can do. I know that you two were playing right now, but when it comes time to go out tonight, playtime will have to be over," Hogan said, again pleased at what he had just witnessed. "But LeBeau?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Next time you feel like kissing somebody, get a girl," Hogan responded with the usual twinkle in his eye.

[1] Information courtesy of _Hitler and the Occult (2007)_, The History Channel


	20. Chapter 20

Continual thanks and appreciation to Sierra Sutherwinds for the story work

Chapter 20: Fighting for Freedom

Dusk fell faster than usual that night—or, perhaps it only seemed so. After all, every man knew what they were up against, and how dangerous this mission could be. _Perhaps the most dangerous one we've ever been _on Hogan thought to himself. At the same time, he knew that his men were ready. Hogan gave them their last-minute instructions: "Fight and retreat, as many times as necessary. Do not allow them to regroup; do not allow them to surround you..."

Just before they were about to leave, Hogan turned to Kinch and told him, "Remember how I earlier asked you to take command of this group until I felt better? Well," he said, breaking out into a smile "now is that time."

"It's good to have you back, the way you should be," Kinch replied, breaking out into a smile of his own. "Welcome back, _commander."_ Both men turned to begin that night's mission. Suddenly, Hogan couldn't help but remember the bracelet that Carter and Newkirk had made him for his birthday, and the four words that were engraved on the beads: Respect, Control, Patience and Consequence. _Whatever happens tonight, as long as I remember those words I should manage to stay out of the darkness_ he thought to himself with steadfast determination. At the same time, he refused to allow himself to think about how he had failed to follow those words in the past, since it was a mistake that he wouldn't make again.

Hogan led their way through the tunnels and up into the woods. Kinch looked at Newkirk, who was turning his head several times as though he was waiting for something or someone.

"Are you expecting company?" he asked.

"I suppose not," Newkirk shrugged and glanced at Hogan. He wondered if Hogan's talk with Klink had ended in a dead end. _I hope that Nimrod comes through for us. We could certainly use another werewolf on our side!_

"I thought the colonel was going to ask Klink to come with us, Newkirk," Carter whispered in a low voice so that only his friend could hear him.

"Me too," Newkirk could only half-hopelessly reply.

After the group had been traveling through the forest for several minutes, Hogan stopped them. He looked around and checked his watch. Carter and Newkirk exchanged glances. The colonel could sense how curious they felt towards his behavior. "We'll give him a couple of minutes."

""Who is 'him'?" Kinch frowned, knowing now that Hogan and his two other men were aware of something that he was not.

"Are we waiting for someone else?" LeBeau asked.

Hogan turned to them. "I asked one of our secret agents to join us. He might, although he didn't say if he would."

"Secret agent?" LeBeau grew curious. "Who?"

"Nimrod," Klink said, suddenly appearing from seemingly nowhere and walking towards them. He crisply saluted Hogan, who reciprocated, and both men smiled. "I hope it's not too late to join you. I was able to find you by listening to the sound of your footsteps."

Kinch and LeBeau were speechless. The corporal could not believe his eyes. After all these years he had spent underestimating this man, it turned out that they had been on the same side. He shook his head.

"Non, non. Impossible!" He yelled in French. "He's a Bosch! A Kraut! We don't like them!" He turned to Kinch for support. "This is not happening!"

"Keep it down, LeBeau. We're not supposed to be outside." Carter grinned, and he could sense that his friend's expression was matching his own. They both, but Carter especially, loved being ahead with the secrets.

"How come you're not surprised?" LeBeau looked at Newkirk and Carter. "Why do you always know?" Suddenly, an idea came to him, though he knew that it was going to be a rhetorical question that didn't require any answers. "It's because you're both mind readers, isn't it?"

"Calm down, Louie," Hogan said. "There are no more secrets, okay? We need all the help that we can get."

"But he's not one of us!" LeBeau pointed at Klink. "He's the Kommandant, and we're his prisoners! He simply cannot be Nimrod!"

"That's a cover, you must understand." Klink came closer, and he was relieved that for all of LeBeau's shouting, he didn't back off. "I'm not what I look like. I've been working for the Allies long before you came to this camp, LeBeau."

Still, the corporal couldn't help but wince with disgust. But he knew that this was not the time to make a case out of something that was already done. He also realized how useful Eagle could be on a mission, and that he was a good addition to their group.

"D'accord, but you'd better behave and obey to whatever the colonel tells you, or else-"

"LeBeau, play nice." Hogan shrugged. "Welcome to the team, Kommandant," he said, shaking Klink's hand.

"Please, Wilhem or Eagle, if we're going to use our code names, that is." Klink smiled. "This will be my first mission working with a group. I'll do my best to help."

"As long as you don't jeopardize it or any of us, that's enough for me," Kinch nodded satisfactory. "But as long as there aren't going to be any more secrets, there's something that you should know." Seeing Klink look at him quizzically, he continued, "We know that you lost control of Eagle during one of Hochstetter's visits, but we also know how you were able to kill Faust and save the Colonel and the others. Since you probably know that we're also shape shifters, since you're one too, we learned that through our expert hearing. So far, that's one for, and one against," he said with a stern expression. "But let's see if we can't make that two for," he said, his expression changing into a smile.

Klink tried to take into account everything that Kinch had just informed him of. He didn't know whether he should be more surprised that they knew he was a werewolf also, or that they knew how Eagle had both worked for and against them. After thirty seconds of silence, he replied, "Well, I suppose that makes a lot of sense. But I promise you, this will definitely be 'two for,'" he said with a smile.

Holding up his hand once he realized that the conversation between Kinch and Klink was over, Hogan said, "Well, guys. This is it. It's quiet navigation from now on. We don't want to be detected, although is very likely that they are expecting us." Hogan looked at his men. "Remember, they'll be able to read our minds, and pick up even the slightest amount of brain patterns. If you feel that you can't keep your mind in a blank, think of a brick wall, an impenetrable, hard rock wall."

Carter chuckled. "That's swell. Great idea." He turned to Newkirk, as both of their eyes changed into their greenish shade simultaneously. "You never came up with something like that."

The Englishman rolled his eyes and glared at him. "Pay attention, would you?"

"Strategies," Hogan said while half-pacing around, half-keeping an eye out for any wandering German patrols. "We'll surround the area. Kinch and I will go to the front door. Klink, I need to protect your identity as much as we can. Eagle's coming from the rear door. Carter and LeBeau, you'll use the lateral window. There is one on the right-" He stared at Carter raising his hand and he smiled. "Our right, Carter." He turned to Newkirk. "You're coming from the roof."

Newkirk understood immediately what his Colonel meant. He could not hide his apprehension. He stared at Carter, who clapped him on the shoulder.

"Sir, they don't know." Newkirk almost whispered in a tentative manner.

"We don't know what?" Kinch frowned, not understanding what Hogan meant by his last sentence.

"More secrets, Kinch. We're not quite in this loop, are we?" LeBeau crossed his arms over his chest, glancing between the corporal and the colonel. "Now what? Newkirk is a girl?"

"Hey!" Newkirk stepped forward but he was stopped by Carter, who was holding his arm in front of him.

"You'd better tell them. It's nothing, really." Carter smiled.

Newkirk sighed. _Nothing really? That's not exactly 'ow I would 'ave put it. But I suppose it's about time that me mates know. I only 'ope that they won't take it in any sort of negative manner._ Suddenly, his mind floated back to the self-reflections that he had thought to himself the first night that he and Hogan had gone running."I 'ave wings," he said matter-of-factly, trying not to look at his feet.

LeBeau and Kinch looked at each other and burst into laughs.

"With feathers?" Kinch asked.

"And where do you keep them, in your pocket?" LeBeau had to sit on a trunk. "...with a little bow and arrow, like Cupid?"

"Knock it off!" Newkirk glared at them, his green eyes now burning instead of shining. "I don't 'ave feathers and I ain't ruddy Cupid, all right? I think you've got a right to know because it's a nasty transformation. It ain't pretty to watch for the first time and if laughing 'elps you to get over it, well, 'ave a good one right now. I don't want to see you staring and getting distracted when it 'appens in the middle of the battle." At the same time, Newkirk could only think to himself _But if this is 'ow they'll going to act, maybe I shouldn't tell them about me Scream of Death yet. I won't be able to protect all me mates if it 'appens, and I don't know 'ow it would affect a werewolf. 'Opefully, the battle won't come to that._

Suddenly, another thought occurred to LeBeau, and he turned to face Klink. However, he could see that his Kommandant didn't seem surprised by the news that Newkirk had just informed them of. Turning to face him, Klink could only reply, "When you depend on a person to keep you from losing control of yourself, you quickly learn that keeping secrets may not be the best policy to follow."

There was a deep silence after that speech. Hogan gave his men time to settle down and then, he breathed deeply. "Amen to that. Now that we know about all of our dirty little secrets, let's put them to work for the team's sake. Shall we?" He led the way. During the rest of the journey, they were completely quiet.

HHH

Metzger sensed that something was different in the air, and he grinned. "They're almost here."

Nacht closed his eyes and tried to make out any sounds, or more importantly, to detect any brain patterns that would be emanating from Hogan and his men. "They're coming like scared bunny rabbits. I can't tell how many there are, or what their weapons will be."

"That's easy to guess. We have our own too." Metzger patted the inner pocket of his jacket, a twisted smile appearing on his face. "This is the time for payback and retribution, mein Freund. Victory is at hand."

"Do you think it will be enough for the three of them?" Nacht growled.

"We only need Hogan and the others will surrender. Once Carter and Newkirk realize that this time, he won't be able to fight it…"

"The rest will fall like dominoes, or like a headless chicken." As they clinked their glasses full of blood together, they shared a laugh over their impending success.

Their laughing climbed up to Tiger's cage, which was situated on the second floor. She was able to listen in to their entire conversation. Sometimes, they fought between each other, but other times, they laughed. She disliked it when they laughed, because that meant they were conspiring against Hogan and his men.

Tiger got up from the floor of her cage, and she looked through the only window that was in the small room. The night was still and the moon was full, but she could feel someone moving towards her. Despite the precarious situation, she could smile. Hogan was near. He could be walking into a trap, but that was nothing new for him and his men. He was coming for her and that was all that mattered. She leaned her head against the bars of her cell. She wondered if he was able to sense her too, the same way that she could for him. She pictured him walking in the woods, which was an easy task due to the countless number of times that they had done so before. It was as though just by loving him, one new door had been opened between them. She closed her eyes and thought of him. _Be safe, mon amour. These vampires mean business, and they won't hesitate to hurt or even kill you. _Suddenly, she could feel another small kick coming from her stomach, which caused her to both smile and worry. She was glad that even though Metzger and the others had kidnapped and treated her roughly, that the babies seemed to be safe. _That is good, because I don't want or need to suffer a miscarriage—especially since now that Robert is a vampire, we probably won't be able to have any more children. So, for both mine and our children's sake, be safe._

HHH

Hogan stopped. He heard Tiger's voice, and though he wasn't even trying to read her mind, he was able to pick up on all of her thoughts. She was right there, showing him the way. This was a new sensation that no one had told him about. Newkirk and Carter had talked about mind reading and soul gazing, but this was different. The bond between him and Tiger was beyond any acquired power they had, and he felt that it was just as strong, if not stronger, than the psychic link that he shared between his men.

He turned to the others and nodded. "Get your positions."

Klink began his transformation. He quickly began undressing and stuffed his uniform into a field pack that he had brought along for the occasion. The process itself was painful and hard to see, but there wasn't any time to look for a place to hide. As Hogan had told all of them before, there were no more secrets left.

Carter and Newkirk stayed aside, scanning the dark for any unwanted guests. Hogan too, was ready for the unexpected. Fortunately, they were still alone. Kinch and LeBeau stayed close to their Kommandant, just in case he had any difficulties controlling his inner self. They knew that it didn't help him that tonight was a full moon, and that their powers, both controlled and uncontrolled, would be at their peak performance.

Once the process was done, a magnificent wolf came closer to Hogan. The colonel smiled and could not help petting him. _So far, so good_ Hogan thought to himself, his green eyes meeting the yellow ones that belonged to Eagle. _Klink seems to be in full control of Eagle tonight._ He silently signed for Carter and LeBeau to get going. Eagle also walked to his position, while Kinch came closer to Hogan. The two stayed there while Newkirk transformed. Taking both his jacket and his shirt off, and stuffing them into the same field pack where Klink had placed his uniform, Newkirk moved back to allow enough distance for his wings to fully spread themselves out. Although Hogan had seen him before, he was no less impressed than he was the first time. Kinch, on the other hand, could barely believe his eyes. Newkirk's skin paled as white as freshly fallen snow, while the blue and dark of his veins were quickly becoming exposed. His eyes changed color from green to glowing purple while two handsome, although slightly leathery wings began to emerge from his spine. Newkirk fanned them, which caused them to make a faint rustling sound, and he smiled. He looked first at Kinch as though seeking his approval. He was not used to having an audience and he felt rather embarrassed.

At first, Kinch was completely taken aback by what he saw. It was one thing for his friend to tell him that he possessed wings, but it was quite another for him to see them for himself. After thirty seconds had passed, Kinch could only simply nod his head."No feathers?"

"No ruddy feathers, mate," Newkirk replied, crossing his white arms in front of his chest. Then, in front of Kinch's eyes, Newkirk allowed his wings to carry him a couple of feet off the ground.

That answer caused Kinch to smile. If he had any issues about his other self, they vanished with that answer. This one was still good old Newkirk.

"All right, guys. Let's do this." Hogan stepped forward.

HHH

The barn door opened violently when Hogan and Kinch kicked it at once. The vampires inside were too surprised to move. Only Metzger grinned from a ladder in a corner. Hogan glared at him in the eye. They could have locked into a silent, telepathic, conversation, but Hogan chose to use his voice instead.

"Honey, I'm home," he said with a grin.

"Long time no see," Metzger whispered with his raspy voice.

"Did you miss me?" Hogan asked, as sarcastic as ever.

"Actually, I did." He came down the ladder and walked towards him. "So many plans, so many dreams," he said, shaking his head, almost sadly. "I thought you were ready to join us... It was so easy to persuade you. What happened? What did we do wrong?" His tone was more on the sarcastic side, with a twisted smile to match.

Hogan waited until Metzger moved closer towards him. He shrugged. "I got a severe case of common sense." He laughed. "Do you actually expect that someone would buy that idea of a superior race? We're vampires, monsters, in the eyes of a regular human. They won't take us seriously, and if they do, they'd probably stake us alive. I haven't even told the rest of the men in my barracks what I am. And what would you do then? Wipe all the mortals off the planet's surface?" He turned to Kinch with the usual twinkle, though this time with a sarcastic edge, in his eye. "Talk about mad scientists."

Kinch shook his head. On the corner of his eye, he could see his friends taking position. The fight had better start soon. Hogan's conversation was staring to make him nervous. He felt his claws coming out and he growled.

Hogan smiled. _All right, now is a good time_ he thought to all of his men at once. Suddenly, he bared his fangs and threw himself on Metzger.

The brawl began almost instantly. Eagle, who was listening attentively to the exchange, charged only seconds later than Hogan did. He easily took out two vampires who had been guarding the rear door. Kinch did not transform right away. He waited for Carter and LeBeau to enter from the lateral window. In the meantime, he connected deliberated punches. Even without being in his wolf form, his punches had powerful strength behind them. It was just as he knew it from his days as a boxer.

Hogan took Metzger by the collar and tossed him against a corner. He knew how imperative it was that that Metzger shouldn't be allowed to take a breather. This vampire was vicious and strong because of his age and he would take advantage of any sign of weakness. He kicked Metzger in the ribs, which prevented him from transforming. Hogan felt another vampire ready to charge from behind. With no time to turn, he had to roll over in order to put some distance between himself and his enemies.

Carter was already there to grab the vampire and bit him hard on the neck, drawing blood. While the vampire was momentarily weakened, the sergeant took the opportunity to take out a stake that he had hidden in his jacket and to quickly finish the job. Hogan stood up. He checked on Metzger, but the man was not there. Hogan looked around and caught a familiar scent.

"Carter! She's upstairs. You and LeBeau! Go!" Hogan ran towards Kinch. Together, they took on another group of vampires. "You want to transform now? I think this is a good time!" he said while crashing one man against the wall.

Kinch grinned. "I thought you'd never ask!"

The process took only seconds. The rush of the battle accelerated it, for which Hogan was truly grateful. With Golden and Eagle fighting fang to fang, Hogan would be able to take care of finding and immobilizing Metzger and Nacht.

As though summoned by Hogan's mere thoughts, the young Engel came out of nowhere and pushed Hogan on the chest, sending him to the other side of the barn. The colonel had scarcely a couple of seconds to pull himself up to his feet. Knowing that he was the weakest one in this fight, since as the youngest vampire he was still getting used to his powers, Hogan turned to his best weapon. "So, did the old man finally get off your back?"

"I walk alone. We may be on the same team, but that's as far as my loyalty towards him extends." Nacht straightened up. He prepared a fast kick but Hogan could predict its direction and dodged. He grabbed Nacht's leg and twisted it with enough strength to make the vampire turn once in the air and fall heavily on the ground.

"Yeah, I see what you mean," Hogan muttered.

The next exchange of blows was too fast for humans. Hogan could feel his reflexes strengthening by the minute. If the training sessions with Carter and Newkirk had been quite illustrative, this confrontation would be his graduation match.

Suddenly, and almost unexpectedly, Newkirk literally fell from the heavens. His presence disrupted the battle for some of the vampires, especially the younger ones. They were more or less used to Metzger's allure, but they always thought that he was unique. They found that another winged vampire was rather disturbing.

Newkirk didn't seem to mind the stares. In fact his sole apparition had helped the wolves to take advantage of the distraction, since they had known what to expect from their corporal. He landed next to Hogan but did not intervene in the fight. He was extremely pleased to see the colonel taking care of business so expeditiously. _It looks like our training sessions with 'im 'ave paid off_ he quickly thought to himself. However, he could sense that something was amiss. He turned just in time to see Metzger running into a small room that in other times should have been an office. He quickly followed after him.

Carter and LeBeau ran upstairs calling for Tiger. They found a vampire guarding the cage, but that he was waiting for them, in a fighting stance. Carter stepped forward. "Get Tiger, I'll take care of this one." His eyes glowed green. Then, as quickly as the blink of an eye, Carter once again took out his stake and drove it straight into the vampire's heart. _Well, that's two that I've dusted so far tonight_ he thought to himself. _I hope the others are having as much luck as I!_

With the guard taken care of, LeBeau and Carter could get back to the business at hand. "The lock is too strong," Tiger told LeBeau as soon as she saw him.

"Ne vous inquietez pas," he said. "Carter! Explosives!"

Carter took his backpack and tossed it towards LeBeau. "One stick would do, Louie!" Carter said, noticing that a new vampire was ready to take the other's place. The fight was not too spectacular. Since Carter had the advantage both in strength and experience, he soon sent the vampire tumbling downstairs. He ran to the cage and finished the job for LeBeau. "Stay back," he said to Tiger. He and LeBeau covered their ears and looked the other way as the cell door blew out.

Tiger came out and hugged them both. "I knew you would come for me!"

They ran to the stairs only to find two vampires blocking their way out. Carter prepared, drawing out his stake yet again, but stopped when Tiger pushed LeBeau aside. "Stay back, I'll take care of this. Please, don't get scared for what you're about to see."

However, before she could begin her transformation, LeBeau was already on his way to becoming Loup. Tiger stared at him in disbelief.

"Kinch is a shape shifter too," Carter winked.

"Incroyable," Tiger chuckled when she saw Loup jumping on the vampires and pushing them down to the first floor. She also saw Golden and Eagle. "I'm assuming that Kinch must be the darker-furred werewolf, so who's the third one?" she asked, pointing at Eagle.

"Oh, that one is the Kommandant."

"Quoi?" Tiger's eyes widened. "No, that can't be!" She was rather upset. All these years, she had stood against that man and everything he represented. It was impossible to accept his help just like that. "He's a Bosch!"

"Funny, that's what Louie said." Carter shrugged. "It's been a surprise for all of us really, especially the part that Klink is Nimrod."

At this point, Carter jumped downstairs to kick another vampire threatening to come up after them. Tiger jumped too. She was speechless and furious. Her entire frame of work had been altered to irreparable levels. She was still trying to process the fact that Klink was a werewolf, and that he had come to help her. Only seconds later, she had to accept that he was also one of the most important agents of their entire undercover operation.

The world as she knew it was suddenly upside down. _Well, I suppose there isn't time to worry about that now_ she thought to herself. Even though she wanted to help Hogan and his men, she could feel another kick coming from her stomach. _He'll be furious at me if my fighting causes me to lose our children. As much as I don't want to, it would probably be best for all of us if I sat this one out._

_That's exactly what I want you to do_ Hogan thought to her, in the midst of sending another vampire to the floor with his repeated punches. _Carter, escort Marie out of the barn. She should be safe from any vampires out there_ he thought to his sergeant, who was halfway across the room, taking on the same vampire that he had earlier kicked downstairs. Finishing the job, Carter rushed over to her, while managing to avoid being staked himself. He was able to easily yet carefully pick her up, and since they were closest to the rear door, carried her to safety outside of the barn.

Gently placing her on a tree stump, Carter seemed almost hesitant to head back inside to the action. He knew that Hogan had placed her in his care, so he felt that it was his responsibility to watch out for her, and make sure that no harm came her way. Even outside, away from the action, there was always the possibility that a German patrol might find her and pick her up.

As though reading his mind, Tiger could only shake her head. "Kraut patrols are nothing new for me—pregnant or not. But your Colonel and your men need you," she said, pointing to the chaos that was still occurring inside the barn. With that, Carter turned back inside to join the melee.

…

Newkirk grabbed Metzger by his jacket and tossed him to the floor. "Why do you 'ave to be so difficult? Isn't war 'ard enough without 'aving to add vampires on both sides?"

"You make it difficult! At least, we chose the winning side!" Metzger stood up and flattened his clothes. "Once we get your commanding leader, your pathetic organization will become meaningless."

Newkirk watched him gathering several flasks and papers. "You're still playing chemistry?" he asked, too surprised to fight against the Engel.

"Ah, Benjamin, you still remember." Metzger smiled. "You'll be happy to know that I found it. Finally. The elixir is complete."

Newkirk had to make use of his memory to go back in time. Decades, almost one hundred years ago...

_Metzger was sitting in his lab, frantically working on an experiment. Bottles and flasks were filled with fluorescent liquids of diverse colors. Newkirk had never understood this vampire's fascination with human behavior and vampire nature._

_"__Ah, Benjamin, you're so simple in your line of thought. This elixir will accelerate our evolution; we'll be invincible! We won't have to wait until we're 150 years old for the changes that will take place then. We can have that power sooner, if I could only get the formula correct," Metzger said, not bothering to look up from the work that lay in front of him._

"_I don't think that you should be playing with nature. We are what we are now. When those changes come, they should come naturally. I, for one, 'ave no problem waiting," Newkirk said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He still didn't know what changes lay in wait for him, since even though Metzger could see the future, he didn't share those details with his friend. Even now, Newkirk could sense that Metzger didn't trust him completely, and that their 'partnership' was a most uneasy one._

"_There's nothing natural about our condition. We're called to be masters of our own kind. Darwin is already proving that evolution is the way of the world. If you can't see it that way, you'll be left behind. "_

"_I won't participate, and believe me, I'll be ready to stop you if things get out of 'and."_

Now, things had indeed gotten out of hand. Newkirk was not surprised when he knew that this organization was forming to fight shoulder to shoulder with the Nazis, and to stand against everything that Anne and her own organization stood for. He only regretted that he hadn't been clever enough to finish them all before it began.

"What rubbish are you talking about? What elixir?" he asked, though he knew full well what Metzger was referring to. Still, he was hoping to hide the fear in his voice, and especially in his mind so that it wouldn't be detected.

"_Unholy water brew_. See? The combination of different elements will bring out the vampire's true self." He laughed. "A few drops of this and all the non human traits will surface; strength, endurance, … hunger and desire. Tell me, Benjamin, what do you think this could do to your beloved colonel? He's young and strong, and he's still learning how to completely control his emotions... It will be really interesting to see what this elixir could do for him."

Newkirk placed himself in front of the door, blocking Metzger's exit. "I won't let you go."

"You won't?" With a grin and a blink of the eye motion, Metzger produced a pistol and shot Newkirk in the head. The impact sent him unconscious to the floor. Metzger chuckled. "So easily predictable, Benjamin." He took a syringe filled with a milky orange substance and walked out of the room.


	21. Chapter 21

Continual thanks to Sierra Sutherwinds

Chapter Twenty-One: The Ultimate Sacrifice

Carter came back inside the barn just in time to see that Loup was in a very bad position to defend himself against two vampires. The young sergeant's eyes momentarily burned their brightest when he threw himself between his friend and his attackers. With his intervention, the wolf had enough time to regroup and dispose of both vampires. Carter's reward was a lick on the cheek.

Meanwhile, Golden and Eagle managed to get all the vampires who dared to come near them. They worked in synchrony, without any problem whatsoever. The heat of the battle distracted them from the shooting in the other room. No one turned their heads to see Metzger coming out with a wide, twisted smile.

Nacht stepped back from his fight with Hogan. He was getting too bruised and exhausted to endure one more round without regrouping and taking a breather. Hogan didn't mind to see him retreating after the last blow, though he did desire to finish the Engel off at that very moment. Both continued fighting, but this time with different foes.

The battle was getting old. Although there had been several casualties, all from Metzger's side, most of the contenders were still on their feet. They were still giving Hogan and his men a good run for their money. Hogan knew that would happen. The opposite forces were equally strong. They needed something to tip the balance on their favor, only that he still did not know what that could be. _If I had the time, I could think of another plan_ he thought to himself, even though he knew that both his time and his mind were heavily consumed with fighting the vampires off one-by-one.

Metzger came out to see his men in a brawl with a couple of vampires and three wolves. He rolled his eyes. Even though they outnumbered the bastards, they still seemed to be losing the battle nonetheless. "Do I have to do everything myself?" Standing back, he quickly allowed his wings to emerge from his spine, and he then jumped in front of Hogan. "Getting tired? Why don't we spice up this fight a little?"

Hogan punched another vampire on the stomach and sent him down on his knees. He turned to Metzger and wrinkled his nose in disgust. "No offense, Metzger, but you're not my type."

Metzger laughed. He had everything under control. _One final step and the victory will be ours!_ He reached into his pocket for the syringe. However, he was momentarily stopped from injecting it, due to the fact that he had to fend off Hogan's fast reflexes. He looked at Nacht coming from the opposite end of the barn and he nodded.

Back inside the office, Newkirk was slowly coming to. The first thing he noticed was the pounding headache in his brain, as though a cannon had gone off. Fighting the pain, which was quickly dissipating, the first thing that he noticed was that the bullet was on the floor. Bringing his hand up to his head, he was relieved that it didn't show any signs of blood. Immediately, he remembered Metzger and the elixir. He rushed outside. _If that vampire 'as done _anything _to my Colonel…!_ he quickly thought to himself. He only hoped that he was in time to stop Metzger from injecting the horrific substance, and losing his commanding officer.

Back in the main barn, Metzger and Hogan stood face to face, each still giving and fending off the other's punches. Unbeknownst to Hogan, Nacht had crept up behind him and was ready to grab him from behind. Suddenly, a beautiful wolf jumped back into the barn through the rear door. It grabbed Nacht by the back of his neck and tossed him to one side. The vampire did not have the chance to get back on his feet. The wolf kept coming over him, biting his neck until the head was severed from his body. Finally, the wolf dug its fangs into his chest, causing the Engel to become nothing more than a pile of dust.

\

Metzger could not react at first, and both he and Hogan stopped fighting long enough to stare at what the wolf had just done to Nacht. The entire attack was completely unexpected. Hogan was no less surprised than Metzger was. He knew this wolf, and she would hear a piece of his mind when the whole thing was over. In the meantime, he called her to his side and stroked the top of her head. _Marie, thank you for saving my life_ he thought to her. She replied by waving her tail vigorously. _But you better get out of here, both for your and our children's safety_ he thought to her sternly. However, Hogan knew that Tiger was a stubborn woman, and she refused to comply at first.

"Sorry, Metzger, but you don't have a chance with us," Hogan said with a shrug, turning back to face his opponent.

"You're wrong! You pretentious little man!" He raised his hand with the syringe, ready to drive it straight into Hogan's chest with every ounce of strength that he possessed.

Hogan felt the vampire jumping over him but Metzger never touched him. He had been ready to fend off the attack, but the next thing he knew was that Newkirk had come flying and grabbed Metzger's hand. Both vampires rolled over engaged in combat. Hogan took out his pistol, and he aimed and fired. Metzger growled and turned to look at him. Newkirk was lying on the floor with the needle in his chest.

"What did you do? What was in that syringe?" Hogan yelled, half-glancing between Metzger with anger and his corporal with worry.

Metzger grinned while touching the gunshot on the back of his shoulder. The impact had done nothing to hurt him, other than making his wings retract. He looked at Newkirk on the floor and shook his head. "You have gotten in my way for the last time, Benjamin."

Newkirk's wings were retracting too. Both vampires had gone back to their usual allure. Carter looked around. The rest of the vampires had stopped fighting as though they were all waiting for Metzger's instructions.

"This should end now, Metzger," Hogan said helping Newkirk to his feet. The Englishman was shaky but stable. "Are you okay?"

Newkirk turned to Metzger. "Give up, Metzger. It's over." At the same time, the corporal couldn't be more fearful for his life, as well as those of his friends around him. _What will that elixir do to me? I won't allow myself to give into any previous evil, especially if it means 'urting my friends!_ he thought with steadfast resolution.

"Oh, come on," he laughed, looking around at all the vampires that Hogan and his men would still have to go up against. "Look around you. We're still more than you." His grin was getting wider and more twisted by the moment. "And after the elixir begins to work, we'll be invincible."

"Elixir?" Hogan did not like that at all. "What was in that needle?" He shouted to both Newkirk and Metzger.

"Unholy water brew," Newkirk whispered. "It's 'ard to tell what the effects are. It's different from vampire to vampire."

"I perfected it. It'll enhance your powers. It was meant for you, Hogan, but... Oh, well. Sometimes, the best things happen by accident, don't they? After all, while you may be closer to your dark side than your corporal, as the older vampire he is more powerful."

"Sod off, Metzger. If you think I'm gonna join your ruddy circus of freaks..." He tried to walk towards Metzger but ended up staggering. Carter was already there to help him.

"Don't worry, Benjamin. We'll take care of your friends while you get your strength back." Metzger signed to the others. "He's off limits. Kill the rest!"

Hogan pushed the gray wolf out of the barn again. "No more protests! We'll talk later." He turned back and a vampire punched him on the mouth. He rubbed his chin and spitted out some blood. "Is that all you got?" He chuckled before he kicked him on the chest.

Tiger was half way out when a vampire pulled her tail. She turned around showing her teeth. The vampire was ready to bite when a big wolf jumped over him. There wasn't much struggle as the wolf ripped both the vampire's throat and tore into his chest. Tiger could only see the wolf running back into the barn. It was not Golden or Loup; it was Eagle. At first, once she was safely out of the barn, she could only stare back dumbfounded. Back in her human form, she quickly began dressing again while thinking to herself _All these years I have fought against that man, yet tonight he has saved my life. _She almost had to chuckle to herself as she continued her line of thought. _They always said Nimrod was a mysterious man, an agent above us all. I just didn't realize _how _mysterious he was until tonight._

Carter took other two vampires. One punch here and a blow there. He could see both vampires preparing to make the one-two with him. He ducked at the last minute and the blows connected on each of the poor guys. Carter would like to enjoy his small victory but there were other three vampires waiting to join the battle with him. This time, he decided to run the other way, knowing that he couldn't take them all on at once.

Loup jumped from one vampire to another biting as many throats and chests as possible. Golden watched him attentively in case his friend needed any help. His own share of vampires was getting fewer because no one dared to get too close to him. Catching Eagle's attention with his eye, he sent him to watch over Newkirk. Although it seemed that everybody else was observing Metzger's command of leaving him alone, Golden would not take chances. _I don't know what that vampire did to him, but he appears weakened, and that isn't good. I hope it isn't anything fatal!_ the sergeant worriedly thought to himself.

Hogan was on the same page, as he sent Carter over too. "Let me know if anything happens to Newkirk," he said, though he was trying to hide the worry in his voice. Looking over at Golden, he could see that their level of apprehension was the same just by the look in the wolf's eyes.

Metzger paced among his troops watching them fighting. He shook his head every time they hit the floor. He was in no hurry to engage in combat. He knew that as soon as Newkirk's transformation was complete, everything would come to an end and he would be able to claim victory.

"Do you want to sit down?" Carter asked Newkirk, trying to hide the worry in his eyes at seeing his friend in his condition.

The Englishman shook his head and leaned against the wall. "If I do, I won't be able to get up again." He winced. Something inside began to hurt.

"Are you all right?" Carter stared at him with concern. "Newkirk? Your wings are showing again."

"What?" Newkirk straightened up. The pain got stronger by the minute. He felt warm, almost tingling and fuzzy inside. "Oh, no... Carter... I think I'm losing control," he whispered. If the corporal had any fear before, it was quickly growing with every passing minute.

"It's okay. We'll help you," Carter said while trying to reassure his friend that everything would be fine. He clapped him on the shoulder.

"Don't!" Newkirk drew back. "Something is 'appening!" He bent forward, clutched his stomach and screamed.

Hogan had been sparring with a young vampire for several minutes. Newkirk's cry for help helped him to focus his mind and energy, and he sent his contender down with a bloody nose. "Lucky strike, kid," Hogan said with a grin. He came back and broke the vampire's neck in just one movement, before taking out his pistol and shooting him in the heart. Then, he ran towards Newkirk.

"I don't know what's wrong with him." Carter tried to keep Newkirk on his feet.

"Everything's coming to an end, Gov'nor," Newkirk said in a gasp, between pained breaths. "Y-you must get out of here, now!"

Hogan grabbed him by the arm, this time unable to hide the concern in his eyes. "Sure, let's go."

"No!" Newkirk claimed his arm back and walked away from them. "Don't get closer! You must go away!"

"We won't leave you here! It doesn't matter if you feel a little evil. It's just a drug. We'll take care of you. We'll make sure that you won't hurt or kill anybody innocent." Carter walked towards him.

"Go away! You don't get it! Something is 'appening, and I won't be able to stop it!" Newkirk said, bending forward and clutching his stomach again. It took all of his strength to force himself to stand up straight again.

"You are the one who doesn't get it." Metzger came closer, relief and genuine, though twisted happiness shining in his green eyes. "Embrace your destiny, Benjamin, just as you should have had almost one hundred years ago."

"No!" Newkirk fell down on his knees. Hogan and Carter came to help him.

"Stop fighting," Metzger said. "It hurts more when you fight it."

"It's okay, Newkirk. We won't let you go." Hogan took his hand in his own, trying to comfort his corporal without letting his friend see the worry in his eyes.

"You don't understand, Colonel... I ain't getting evil... This is... is... different..."

"What's different? What's happening?" Carter asked.

"I'm losing control of me powers and me appearance, Andrew... I feel that they're coming out all at once..." He lifted his head and grabbed Carter by the collar of his shirt. "Me Scream of Death! Carter, I don't feel that I'll be able to suppress it for much longer... You must go away... very far away... Please!... I don't want to 'urt you!" He bent forward again.

"Colonel, what do we do?" Carter asked, looking between Newkirk, who was almost writhing in pain, and his commander.

Hogan was as scared as Carter, but he was the superior officer. It was his duty to protect all of the men under his orders. With a sad heart, he knew that the good of many always came above the good of one. Even when that one was Newkirk.

"Are you sure about this, Newkirk?" He grabbed his man's arm. The Englishman was in too much pain to look at him. All that Hogan could get was an agonizing nod. He turned to Carter. "Call the troops, we're making our way out of here."

"Go ahead," Metzger dismissed Hogan with a wave of his hand. "You can run away, we'll find you when my team is complete."

"Oh, you're about to be surprised," Newkirk said sitting on the floor to lean his back against the wall. Hogan was still with him. "You'll manage without me, Gov'nor."

Hogan saw Newkirk's skin becoming so white that it looked transparent. His eyes burned a blazing shade of purple and his features hardened. It was like the same transformation they had seen before but faster. It went on and did not seem to be near an end. Hogan looked at Newkirk's hand still in his. It was now a three-fingered claw, and Hogan noticed how bat-like it was in appearance. Like his wings, Hogan noticed that his skin was taking on a new, leathery appearance. "I don't think I would be ever able to replace you, Newkirk", he said, looking at his man and his friend in the face. He also noticed that instead of only his upper and lower canines being fangs, his entire upper teeth had turned into fangs as well. Hogan knew that he probably would be shocked seeing his friend as he _truly_ appeared in his vampiric state, if it wasn't for the fact that so much sadness was overtaking his heart. He let go of his friend's hand and got up. He saw Metzger grinning and his anger grew. "I'll get you, Metzger. You won't get away with this."

"I'm counting on you, Colonel Hogan."

Carter was standing outside with the wolves. Although they could understand what was going on, there was little communication between any of them. Some thoughts of condolences came to his mind but he didn't want to answer to any of them. He just wanted to see Hogan and Newkirk coming out of that barn. _I just need to make sure that Peter will be alright_ he thought to himself. Still, something inside of him could sense that things would never again be the same.

"We must get out." Tiger's voice surprised him. She was next to him.

Carter was picking up Klink's field pack, where he, Kinch and LeBeau had stored their clothes, just in time to see Hogan come running towards them.

"Let's go, there's no time to lose. We don't know how strong Newkirk has become. We need to put enough distance." He took Tiger in his arms and started to run. Carter hesitated. "C'mon, Carter!"

The wolves were already gone. There was no one left but him. Carter took one last look at the barn before also running away. Inwardly, he felt like a coward for leaving his friend in his condition. _But, knowing him, he'd probably be more angry if I stayed behind. He's always watched out for us, making sure that we were safe at all times. He always volunteered for the dangerous missions, even when he felt cowardly himself, because he wanted to make sure that we would all come back in one piece. I'll never forget how much he cared for us_ Carter thought to himself, unwilling to wipe away the mist that was beginning to form in his eyes.

Newkirk struggled to get up and stayed up. He stared at Metzger studying him intently. "I'm not turning evil, Metzger. You're still the only monster in 'ere..."

"Look who's talking," he chuckled. "Now, not even your own mother, or your sister, would be able to recognize you."

The other vampires were coming closer, completely uncertain at what it was that they were seeing. The human form was barely recognizable under those big wings and dark veins. Claws with longer fingernails had replaced his hands and his eyes were completely purple, without even any whites showing. He wheezed and his ribs were becoming more prominent with every breath. What they would not see was that inside that impressive facade, there was still Newkirk, trying to hold his powers as long as he could manage.

The increasing pain told him that his time was getting shorter. Newkirk grinned. He looked at Metzger. "So... what's the proper goodbye? Oh, yes... See you in 'ell..."

Almost immediately, he felt his scream coming out. He was unable to suppress it any longer. At first, it started out low, like a moan, as though the wind was rustling through the autumn leaves. But with every passing second it was building in intensity, and it became louder and clearer than ever before. Metzger covered his ears. He had lived long enough to know how to protect himself. Some of his men followed his example. For a brief moment, they experienced relief. But then, the noise outside got inside of them.

Metzger felt the pressure in the center of his brain. He would have noticed that his arms and legs felt like they were shaking on the inside, but his thoughts vanished and his mind went blank. There was pain but he could not register it until it was too intense to scream. He saw his men bursting into flames, and then turning into dust, one by one. The youngest went first, and then the oldest soon followed. He almost thought that he would not go at all, being as old as he was... One second before he died, he realized that his battle was lost.

The explosion was more violent than any other Carter had prepared for their missions. It was especially painful for him, and it would stay in his head for a long time. They had found refuge in a distant cave but Hogan had ordered them to cover their ears just in case. It did hurt each man a little but there was no permanent damage.

However, there was some more intense pain that they were not able to fight. This was the realization that Newkirk was gone. They had won the battle; all of Die Schwarzen Engel were dead. The victory was theirs... But there was no joy on the price they had paid.

They sat around a small fire, all of them lost in their own thoughts. The silence was heavy as they tried to process what had just happened. _Maybe Carter, Hogan, Kinch and LeBeau are suffering the most in all of this,_ Marie thought to herself_._ Even though he probably didn't want anybody else to notice, Tiger saw that Carter was leaning his head against Hogan's frame, and that he was allowing his tears to fall freely down his face. Likewise, Kinch was allowing LeBeau to also cry upon his shoulder. Tiger saw them but she could not find anything to say that could make them feel better. She turned to Klink and realized that he must be thinking the same way.

She could barely bring herself to look at him. They were natural enemies. At least, that was what she thought. She hated the fact that things were not as she had been told before. He got up and walked to the entrance of the cave, his hands clasped behind him. Tiger took a purposeful breath and followed him.

"You saved my life back there," she dared to say what she had been thinking all along. "Thank you."

"We fought as a team," Klink shrugged modestly.

"That's what they say. I'm still in shock, I have to tell you," she admitted to him.

Slowly, Klink turned to look her in the eye. "Look, I'm sorry I couldn't reveal my identity before. You know how it works. We don't even know our own names."

"I'm Marie," she said, tentatively reaching out to shake his hand.

"I know...," he replied, reciprocating her handshake.

She rolled her eyes and quickly drew her hand back to her side. "Really? We never worked together."

"Not directly. But I was your source of information in several occasions. I know almost everyone working in this area and beyond," he explained, as though it was a matter-of-fact piece of information.

She knew he was not bragging about that. Nimrod was not an informant. He was a secret agent, putting his life on the line to make underground work easier. Whether it was a small, independent outfit, like Hogan's, or a larger organization like her French Resistance, she knew that Nimrod had worked with them all and been an invaluable asset in the fight against Germany. Still, all she could see was Colonel Klink, Kommandant of Stalag 13. It would take her some time to really accept his double life and be grateful for what he had done all these years for her and her people.

Hogan slowly got up, making sure that his sergeant would be comfortable with that action. They had to get back to the camp before dawn, and before Schultz could come looking for them for the morning roll call. "Let's go."

"But, Colonel," Carter said, wiping the tears from his face. "Aren't we going back there?"

"What for?" Kinch said, as he also slowly got to his feet. "The place must be gone by now."

"I understand what Carter means." LeBeau got up. "We can go back just for a moment."

"Yeah, we never leave anyone behind, do we?" Carter stared at Hogan, waiting for the last word. "At the very least, he deserves…" However, he was unable to finish the sentence.

Hogan lowered his eyes and nodded. "He deserves a proper funeral—at least, as proper as one can receive in these parts." He turned to Tiger and squeezed her hand. "We'll talk later. But Marie?"

"Yes, mon amour?" she asked.

"No more heroics for tonight. I couldn't stand losing the babies, on top of…" He refused to allow himself to finish his thoughts, so instead he turned and looked at Klink. "Would you do me a favor and make sure she gets home safely? We'll meet you at the Stalag."

The Kommandant nodded. "Of course. We can't get back together, anyway," he replied, knowing that he could never afford to be caught with Hogan and his men outside of the wire. He offered his arm to Tiger and she sighed, before taking it.

"Call me," she said to Hogan.

Hogan led the way back to the barn. The smell of smoke was overwhelming, especially for Kinch and LeBeau with their enhanced senses. Hogan let them sniff around while he and Carter watched for patrols. All around them lay burnt pieces of the barn, with the occasional piles of dust with tattered clothing laying nearby. The fire had long since run out of fuel, and it looked as though a bomb had recently been dropped on the area.

"I don't want him to be gone," Carter said, refusing to allow himself to shed any more tears. He was hoping beyond hope that he wouldn't come across a pile of dust with a pencil sharpener nearby. "This war wouldn't be the same without any of us."

"I know, Carter. I feel bad too." Hogan shook his head. "It could have been me, and I wouldn't have been able to do what he did in the end."

"Newkirk told me stories about his powers and his _true_ appearance, but he never mentioned how dangerous they could be, or how different he would appear. Maybe he thought that if I knew the entire truth, that I would be scared off. Can you imagine not being able to control them at all?"

"He did a very good job wiping off those bastards," Hogan said, looking around. "Our war here is over. At least, his death wasn't in vain. Those vampires were a menace to us all, especially the humans in the area."

"Thank you, Newkirk," Carter said in a whisper. "Thank you for keeping all of Germany safe from them."

Hogan clapped Carter's shoulder but before he could say any more words of consolation, LeBeau yelled at them. He was pointing to something that lay underneath what used to be a table. He was shouting over and over again, "Regardez! Regardez!"

Hogan and his men quickly came rushing over to see what all of the commotion was about. They let out simultaneous gasps as they noticed that LeBeau was pointing to a severely burnt Newkirk, who was still in his transformed state. His entire body was singed, and Hogan knew that he must have suffered from third-degree burns. _This is the second time recently that I'm glad my corporal is already dead, or else he surely would be_ Hogan thought to himself. _But is he?_

Hogan and Carter quickly began lifting the table off of him, and placed it nearby. Both got down on their knees at the same time, still tentative since their corporal was completely unresponsive. Placing one hand on Newkirk's white wrist, Carter closed his eyes, hoping that he would feel a pulse.

He immediately broke out into a smile when he did, though he noticed how faint it was. Looking around the area, Carter's smile fell since he didn't see a single blood bag in sight.

_Do you have any ideas, sir? That scream must have used up all of his strength, and he'll need blood in order to recover._

_Just one_ Hogan replied. With all of his men watching him, Hogan quickly picked up Newkirk's pencil sharpener and cut open his wrist. As Hogan lifted his friend's head towards him, Carter squeezed Hogan's wrist, forcing the blood out of his body and into Newkirk's mouth.

The act continued until Hogan felt himself becoming dizzy, and he knew that he didn't have any more blood to give. _It worked the last time, in Faust's cell. Peter, you can't give up on us! Please, be alright!_

"I'm not…giving up…I just need…some…rest," Newkirk could barely get out, though his eyes were still closed. "Let's…go…'ome."

Feeling Newkirk's pulse again, Carter was relieved that it was quickly regulating itself and returning to normal. Carefully, Hogan and Carter lifted Newkirk up, with Hogan carrying his corporal's shoulders and Carter carrying the legs. Hogan couldn't help but let a broad, albeit still slightly worrisome smile, appear on his face. "I couldn't have said it better myself." With that, the men slowly began making their way back to their camp.


	22. Chapter 22

Middle scenes written with assistance by Sierra Sutherwinds

Chapter Twenty-Two: Coming Around

The men carefully made their way back to camp, ever-watchful for any wandering German patrols. Every once in a while, Hogan thought something to his corporal, just to make sure that he was still with them. _It's going to be ok—we're be back at the camp soon_ Hogan thought, with relief shining in his eyes as he saw the camp come back into view.

_Camp?...Mavis and I…never went camping_ Newkirk thought in reply.

At first, Hogan didn't know if his corporal was employing his usual wit, or if he was becoming delirious. It didn't matter to him—they were almost back home, and soon they would have all the blood that they needed.

Going back inside the tunnels, Hogan and the others had to check their eyesight, to make sure that they weren't becoming delirious themselves. A familiar sight greeted them in a familiar place, but the two didn't quite match up.

"How did you get back here so quickly?" Hogan asked his Kommandant, while gently laying his friend down in a private room. "And what are you doing down here anyway?"

However, Klink didn't seem to pay any attention to Hogan's questioning, as his eyes saddened upon seeing Newkirk. "I'll make sure that he receives the finest funeral possible," he said. All of Hogan's men noticed that he appeared as though somebody had staked him personally; his heart appeared to be broken in two.

"That won't be necessary," Carter replied. Seeing Klink's quizzical look, he continued, "Newkirk's alive."

"But he was…I mean how could…?" Klink asked, happiness and excitement dancing in his eyes.

"Let's chalk that up as another mystery of the war," Hogan replied from inside their private room. Working fast, his fingers were turning the numbers on the dial to their safe, and quicker than humanly possible he drew out several blood bags. He quickly tore them open, and again holding his corporal's head, carefully poured the lifesaving substance down his throat. He repeated the act, working to fight against his own dizziness. However, he felt that he was becoming closer to fainting, and probably would have, if it wasn't for a guiding hand.

"Just like old times, isn't it?" Klink asked, remembering well how his spy counterpart had appeared in Faust's cell. "You should feed yourself—I'll take care of Newkirk."

"Thank you," both Hogan and Newkirk weakly said at the same time, though the corporal was still unable to open his eyes. Sitting against the wall of the tunnel, Hogan ripped open a bag for himself, which he easily finished off in a couple of swallows.

Finding his strength quickly returning to him, Hogan turned back to Klink. "You know, you still haven't answered my questions. I trust that Tiger made it back to her apartment safely?"

"I think that she's going to be much like Newkirk—they'll both need time to quickly recover and get used to everything that has happened tonight. I sense that she's still not used to seeing me as anything other than Kommandant Klink of Stalag 13."

"In time, I'm sure she'll come around. After all, even the newest spy in these parts is in awe of the name of Nimrod," Hogan replied with the usual twinkle in his eye.

"Yes, I'm sure she will," Klink mused, looking around at the room that they were in, as well as glancing out into the tunnels. "I must say that you and your men have done an excellent job making these tunnels. I can see now why many of my contacts say that you're the best, Papa Bear," Klink said while looking Hogan in the face and smiling.

"Well, it wasn't easy, you understand. There are so many Kraut guards wandering around up there that sometimes I think putting my outfit together was the hardest part of the job. Not to mention, trying to do it under the watchful eyes of our Kommandant."

"Who, like Schultz, always managed to look the other way?" Klink asked, with his gleeful expression. "I'm just relieved that my Sergeant-of-the-Guard isn't exactly a loyal German himself." With that, he turned back to the work at hand of feeding Newkirk what he needed.

"'I know nothing, I see nothing!'" Hogan replied, giving his best imitation of Schultz.

"Yes, exactly. So, how long do you think it will take Newkirk to come around?" Klink asked, his expression changing from happy to worried at seeing the corporal still in his transformed state, and still unable to open his eyes.

"His skin will heal at its own pace. The worst of it seems to be over, thank goodness," Hogan replied. Even though he was extremely anxious and worried about his corporal, he couldn't help but hold his hand over his mouth, trying to stifle a yawn.

"Why don't you and your men try to get some rest? I'll watch over him," Klink replied, seeing how tired Hogan was after their long and strenuous battle.

"No dice, Wilhelm. Newkirk is one of my men, and it's my duty to see him through the night. You should try to get some sleep yourself, and I'll let you know how he's doing first thing in the morning. Besides, you know what would happen if you were caught in the tunnels."

"I suppose you're right," Klink said, standing up tentatively. Part of him wanted to stand watch with Hogan, but the rest of him knew that appearances had to be kept up, and the last thing he needed was being caught out of bed by Schultz or another one of his guards. "Rest well, Peter," he said, looking at the corporal with genuine concern and kindness in his eyes, before making his way out of the private room.

Back in the tunnels, he could see three pairs of eyes watching him, and he couldn't blame the rest of Hogan's men. _Things have changed so quickly_ he thought to himself. _Just yesterday I was their Kommandant, and now they have to accept me as Nimrod._ He turned to face Lebeau, who earlier had shown the most resistance to him being Nimrod.

Just as he had turned around and was about to leave the tunnels by way of the tree stump, a hand reached out to stop him. Turning around, he could see that LeBeau was looking at him with a stern expression on his face.

"You fought pretty well tonight…."

"For a Kraut?" Klink asked, suspecting that was what LeBeau wanted to say before he cut him off.

"Non. For a lone wolf," LeBeau replied, allowing a broad smile to appear on his face. "It's good to have you as part of the team, even if it was only for tonight."

"Yes, we couldn't have done it without you, sir," Kinch replied, his own broad smile showing.

"And thank you for taking care of Peter in there," Carter said, pointing at the private room. "How is he doing?"

"He's still mostly unresponsive, but he'll live," Klink replied with a somber expression. Turning back to face Kinch and LeBeau, he said, "We all fought as a team tonight to take down those vampires. I was only glad that I could be of assistance and do my part to help. But whenever you need the assistance of Nimrod again…"

"We all know where to find you," Hogan's three men replied in unison. With that, Klink turned and made his way out of the tunnels, through the woods, and slipped back into camp as quickly as possible. Earlier that night he had made sure to turn off the alarms, knowing that he could never get back into camp by way of the barracks, and that he would have to go underneath the wires. Before retiring for the night, he quickly made his way back over to the alarms and turned them back on. Then, without any of the guards or the searchlight spotting him, made his way over to his quarters. As he undressed and tucked in for the night, his thoughts were still with Hogan and his injured man. At the same time, he was happy that the vampire threat in the area had been effectively and efficiently eliminated. His last thoughts before falling asleep were _All's well that ends well… I hope._

HHH

The morning and day came without much improvement. The battle had left them all exhausted to the extreme. However, getting any rest was impossible at the moment. Although they knew that all that Newkirk needed was some sleep, having drunk the amount of blood that he needed, none of them would put their minds at ease until he would open his eyes.

They took turns watching him sleep. Hogan, with Carter assisting him, had made sure to carefully lift Newkirk from the private room into another, darkened room. There wasn't any more they could do for him. Just like Hogan had told Klink, his burned skin would have to heal at its own pace. The only thing that worried Hogan the most was the elixir. They did not know how long it would stay in Newkirk's blood stream and if there would be any permanent side effects. As the day wore on, however, Newkirk was beginning to transform back into his human appearance. His wings had managed to retract on their own, and his upper teeth had changed from fangs back into regular teeth. So far, it showed in his hands and the color of his skin, even though it no longer took on a leathery appearance.

During morning roll call earlier that day, Klink had managed to inconspicuously catch Hogan's eye. However, Hogan could only shake his head, meaning to indicate that there had been little to no improvement during the few hours between when Klink had left him and roll call. Hogan could sense how saddened Klink was by this news, though he still maintained his usual appearance in front of the other prisoners.

Now, all of Hogan's men were sitting around the barracks table, trying to get their mind off of recent events with LeBeau's cup of coffee. Fortunately, since the sun had replaced the clouds, the rest of the men from Barracks two were outside enjoying the day, blissfully oblivious to the events that had recently unfolded.

"Don't worry, Carter. Newkirk is coming back. His skin is regenerating already," Kinch told him, sitting at the table while taking a sip from his coffee. "You should have some rest." Turning to face his friend, he could see LeBeau nodding in agreement. They could see how tired Carter was, and that he had to force himself to keep from letting his head fall into his coffee.

However, Carter could only shake his head, and drink more of his extra-sugar coffee. Even the fact that LeBeau had added a bunch of spices to it, which was the first time that he had done so, didn't seem to lighten his mood. "I can't. Every time I close my eyes, I get into Newkirk's mind. He's so troubled, Kinch. It hurts."

"He gave a lot of energy into that battle. He's tired." LeBeau patted him on the shoulder. "Give him a couple of days and he'll be back to his own self."

"I hope so. That drug hurt him really badly. And now you all know about his Scream of Death. He didn't want to tell any of you, because he was afraid that 'they never would want to work with me again if they knew what I really look like. If they saw my true appearance, they would never be able to think of anything else'_._" Carter saw LeBeau and Kinch staring at him slightly wide-eyed, surprised in disbelief at what their friend had just said. "His words, not mine," the sergeant clarified.

LeBeau could only shake his head back-and-forth, staring wishfully into his coffee. "It will take some getting used to, oui."

"But he's still Peter Newkirk. He's still as sarcastic as ever, as protective as ever, and as caring towards his friends as ever," Kinch said, taking over for LeBeau. "It doesn't matter what he looks like on the outside, or what powers he possesses. He's still our friend and our teammate. Heck, he could see into the future and we wouldn't care."

However, Carter could only chuckle to himself. "It's funny you should put it that way. You see, some vampires _do_ possess a limited ability to tell the future, if they're powerful enough. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean they could change it." Dropping his head, Carter could only whisper, "After all, our own Colonel didn't know what was going to happen last night."

"I've heard stories that some vampires can see the future, but I've never met one for myself," Kinch said, and he knew that LeBeau had probably heard the exact same stories that he had. "Tell me, what sort of visions did he have?"

Carter could only sigh, knowing that to discuss his commanding officer's visions would only bring up more pain—pain that he didn't wish to deal with at the moment. "For starters, he told us that he had a dream that he killed Hochstetter…and we all know what happened there."

Carter had expected to see his friends surprised, or perhaps even saddened. Thus, their response was completely unexpected. "But that is in the past, and we're in the present. If last night is any indication of which side our Colonel is on, I don't think we have anything to worry about," Kinch said with complete determination. Looking over at his friend, he could see him nodding his head vigorously.

"Oui. After all, it still surprises me a little at how much Klink was able to keep Eagle under his control last night. Even though his emotions must have been very high due to the heat of the battle, he didn't lose himself to the beast within. I have complete confidence that in the future, we will be able to expect the same things from our Colonel."

"In the future, Newkirk will be completely recovered, and he'll be able to serve on our team again without any side effects," Carter said, mustering up his own hopeful determination.

"And in the future, we have another valuable ally that we can rely on, if need be," Kinch said.

"To the future!" all three men said in unison, clinking their coffee cups together and sipping from them simultaneously.

HHH

Almost half a day after their confrontation, Newkirk opened his eyes. He was alone. The pain was intense all over his body. He stared at his hands and knew that he was still far from regaining control. He panicked at the memories of his last battle. It was completely vivid in his mind how much he had tried to pull back his energy—but everything had been useless. In a matter of seconds, he had lost himself into his own powers. All those poor lost souls had been literally disintegrated under his Scream of Death. Not even Metzger, the oldest vampire had been able to resist him.

"No, no..." Newkirk shook his head in a weak attempt of wiping those memories off his mind.

"It's okay," Hogan said, walking slowly to his side. He sat on a chair next to the bed and smiled. "You're back."

"Barely," Newkirk whispered. "How long was I unconscious for this time?" he asked, barely remembering answering his Colonel back in the barn, and again when Klink had fed him.

"Just several hours." Hogan wanted to hold his hand and let him see that everything was going to be all right. But he saw Newkirk slightly crawling away, and that he wanted to turn over on his side. However, Hogan gently put out a hand to stop him. "That was a nasty drug. There were many collateral effects."

"It's not a drug... It's unholy water...Even 'Eaven can't accept the body of a vampire, though if the soul is pure enough…" Newkirk looked at his own hand. The claws were gone. His five fingers were still a little stiff due to the burned skin. Fortunately, those were also changing back into their human color.

"See? Your ten golden fingers are back." Hogan shook his head. "Carter is concerned about you. He feels that your soul has been hurt. I can see that you're in pain and it's not just because of the burns."

Newkirk did not look at him. He rubbed his eyes and sighed. "I lost control in there... I thought it would never end... I tried... I tried..."

"Newkirk, you have to tell me about losing control? I almost killed you once, remember?" Hogan tried to lighten the mood up a little. "Not to mention Hochstetter and those two innocent agents. I was a big bad ass for you and Carter, and even dreamed about killing myself."

Newkirk shook his head. "I know, I know... It's just that... it's been a very long time since I let that 'appen to me...Not since the day that I first got those powers of mine…" He covered his eyes with one arm. "I'm not sure if I can get over it. Maybe I should go away... fly back to London… I can't do this anymore."

Hogan sighed. "Are you quitting on me, Corporal? You can't do that. I'm your superior officer and I deny your request."

Newkirk turned to see him. His left eye was still glowing green while the other had recovered its blue color. "Are you pulling your rank on me, Gov'nor? I know me rights. You always said that involvement in your team was voluntary."

"And since when do you play by the rules?" Hogan chuckled. "I know what you're going through, Newkirk. Because I've been there too. You lost control. You saw your body going in one direction while your mind asked and then, it begged you to stop. You thought you could control your powers, refrain yourself to the last minute, but it didn't happen. You saw yourself hurting others, taking their lives one by one. And all the while, you were just there, useless, like a rag doll on a corner, just waiting for two things, that it would end soon and that it didn't hurt that much at the end."

Newkirk's eyes suddenly became filled with tears. Some rolled down his cheek. They were painfully warm at the contact with his already tender skin.

"And there you go, it hurts." Hogan shrugged. "Now you're terrified of going into that hell again. I have some news for you," he leaned forward, "there are no guarantees that it won't happen again. But the uncertainty can't be the end of your story, Newkirk. You're alive, here and now. Your mind and body are on the same page again and you've got to accept that. There is no other way. Peter Newkirk won't accept any other way, will he?"

Newkirk listened to him and then, he laughed. "No, the bloody bastard will get up and be back for more." He stretched his hand. The skin was almost normal now and it did not hurt when Hogan took the hand in his. "Permission to come back to me station, sir."

"Granted. Welcome back." Hogan smiled.

HHH

Back in the barracks, Carter allowed himself to form a spontaneous smile. He could see his friends looking at him, so he told them, "Newkirk's soul is becoming healed, just like his body. Granted, it will take him some time, but in a couple of days he should be as good as new." This time, Carter allowed his head to droop, exhausted from both the battle and for staying up for the past two days without getting much, if any, sleep.

He wandered aimlessly towards his bunk bed, plopped down on it, and was out like a light the minute his head made contact with his mattress. Kinch and LeBeau looked at him happily, and each let out their own yawns. Quickly exchanging glances, they knew that their friend had the right idea in mind. Making their way to their own bunk beds, they too quickly fell into a peaceful rest. Thus, they didn't hear what was happening below in the tunnels.

HHH

Two figures approached them, each making their way towards the tunnels bearing good news. The two figures met up, and quickly exchanged glances. Tiger was still hesitant at seeing Klink, but at the moment she couldn't care less, as she carefully held the bundle in her arms. _Besides, it's about time that he be surprised for once_ she happily thought to herself. Noticing his expression, Tiger could see that her bundle had the desired effect.

Being the gentleman, Klink held open the tree stump for her, and helped her carefully make her way below into the tunnels. Tiger carefully carried the bundle over to Hogan, who was still in the room with Newkirk. Catching his eye, she silently called him out into the main tunnels.

"Yes, what is it? You shouldn't be out wandering in your pregnant state," Hogan said. However, he was completely caught off guard by seeing the bundle in her arms. "But…You said… I don't understand," he could only reply quizzically at first, since his tongue was completely tied at the moment. "You told me that you were only three months pregnant—how can this be?"

"Well, that is the thing with being a werewolf, mon amour. You must understand that I am half-wolf, and that a gray wolf's gestation period is only 62-75 days. [1] Look—she has your brown eyes."

"And your golden hair," Hogan said, noticing a very small stubble. "But when?"

"Last night, as soon as I got home. At first, I was afraid that the battle was going to cause me to be premature. But no—the timing works out and everything." She went on to explain, pointing to her round stomach. "But since our son will be human, I will still be pregnant with him for another six months. After all, he will not be half-wolf, like our daughter will be."

"Oh Marie, this is wonderful!" he said, the pride and happiness of being a father showing in his eyes. "May I hold her?" he asked, as Marie gave him their sleeping daughter. "But we haven't even picked out a name yet."

Marie turned to face Klink, who was standing rather sheepishly off in the corner. "I think we shall name her… Wilhelmina."

"Really?" Klink asked, coming forward. "You would do that? You don't have to, if you don't want to."

However, Marie could only emit a small laugh. "My name is Marie, my mother's name was Marie, and my grandmother's name was Marie. I think that change is good, non?"

"Change is very good," agreed a semi-weak voice. Slowly, all three of them could see that Newkirk was making his way out to greet them. By now, his other eye had also returned to its blue color, and the only side-effect of the drug was that his skin was still white, and that his veins were still visible.

"Newkirk, don't you think that you should be sleeping still? I don't want to see you up and about before you're ready," Hogan said, though he was still too happy to be stern.

"I will, but I couldn't let this moment go by without congratulating the 'appy parents,… and parents-to-be," he replied, looking at her still-round stomach. "I know 'ow werewolf pregnancies go, sir, but for now, you are a father," Newkirk said, happiness shining in his own eyes for his friend. _Andrew, Louis, James, get down 'ere! The Gov'nor has some wonderful news for you all!_

Newkirk watched as his friends made his way down to the tunnels, still wiping the sleep from their eyes. However, they stopped as soon as they noticed that Newkirk was in the tunnels, and that he seemed to be almost completely recovered.

"Peter, you're back to your own self!" Carter exclaimed, rushing over to stand by his friend.

"Yes, this must be the good news that the Colonel wanted to share with us," Kinch added.

However, Newkirk could only shake his head back-and-forth, pointing to the bundle that was now in Klink's arms.

"Everybody, I want you to meet Wilhelmina. Wilhelmina, this is everybody," Hogan proudly said, as Klink passed Hogan's daughter to Newkirk, who then passed it to Carter, before she made her way over to Kinch and LeBeau.

"Oh sir, she 'as 'er father's eyes."

"Oui, and her mother's beautiful hair."

"And both of her parents' smile."

"And… and…," Carter said, trying to think of something else to say, "Well, like her mother, she's a girl!"

Hogan and all of his men couldn't help but let out a small laugh at that. Suddenly, Wilhelmina started squirming in LeBeau's arms, so he quickly passed her back to Tiger. She woke up momentarily, and for a minute Hogan was afraid that she would start crying and alert the guards to the fact that there was a baby in the tunnels. However, all she did was let out a small growl, before quickly falling back asleep.

"Yes, she's certainly her mother's daughter alright," Hogan said.

Sensing that he was interrupting something, Klink turned to go. However, he was stopped by Hogan, who quickly put his hand out. "Sir, you wouldn't have snuck into the tunnels if you didn't have something important on your mind."

"Well, it's just that Nimrod has already received another important mission. And I was thinking, since we worked so well together last night…" he said, trailing off.

"You were hoping that we could work well together again. Back to business as usual," Hogan sighed. "It seems that the life of an agent is always busy—new father or not. So, what's the mission?" he asked.

"Well, there's a bridge near Hammelburg."

However, Hogan could only look at him expectedly, as though he was waiting for his Kommandant to say more. "And?"

"Well, it's heavily guarded, and…"

"And you just enjoyed how well we worked together last night, so you intercepted a message that was meant for my team," Hogan said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "And no, I didn't have to read your mind to learn that one. Your expression is as clear as day."

Turning to face his men, he could only sigh heavily. He also turned back to face his corporal.

"I'll be fine for one night. You do what you 'ave to do. Besides, somebody 'as to stay 'ere and 'elp the mother take care of the new baby," Newkirk replied, wrapping his arm protectively around Marie as though she was his own future wife.

"When do they want the job done by?" Hogan asked, almost sadly at having another mission to perform on such a short notice. _Everything is happening so fast these days_ he thought to himself.

"Unfortunately, tonight," Nimrod replied.

"I suggest that we use the rest of the day to catch up on our sleep then," Hogan replied, rubbing his forehead to ward off the oncoming headache. Shaking his head back and forth, he could only think to all of his men _So, there's a bridge near Hammelburg. Carter, we're going to need some more of your explosives. Kinch and LeBeau, the usual. And Nimrod…_

_Yes, Hogan?_

_It's good to be working another mission with you, sir_ Hogan replied. _But for now, sleep is calling._

Turning around, he kissed Marie on the cheek, and his newborn, sleeping daughter on her forehead. Unable to stifle a yawn, he climbed up sleepily to his barracks, over to his quarters, where he let himself fall asleep as soon as his head hit the mattress. That day, he dreamt about winged vampires, secret agents, newborn daughters… and bridges that needed to be blown up.

[1] Source: Wikipedia

AN: Epilogue coming soon, starring Hogan's children


	23. Chapter 23

Middle written with assistance from Sierra Sutherwinds

Chapter Twenty-Three: Epilogue

_The bridge in Hammelburg had been blown up successfully, with all of Hogan's men and Nimrod (except for Newkirk, who was still recuperating in the tunnels) taking full advantage of their supernatural powers—namely, their speed, which allowed them to carry off the mission in record time. Kinch, LeBeau, and Nimrod employed their heightened senses, which allowed them to maneuver around the guards without even spotting them. Meanwhile, Hogan and Carter were able to use their night vision to see with more clarity the work that they had to perform. Many more missions would follow after that one—sometimes Nimrod would join in to help, and sometimes Hogan and his men would fly solo. By this time, Newkirk had completely recovered, and was back to his regular self. But things remained difficult for him and for Hogan. Each day, they worked hard at keeping their personal demons at bay—whether it was Newkirk's fear that he wouldn't be able to control his Scream of Death, or Hogan's that he would give back into his darkness. They found that when they had the time, yoga and general meditating was of great assistance. Often, Klink would join them, to make sure that he wouldn't lose control over Eagle._

_Unfortunately, slip-ups did occur at times. That year, Halloween fell on both a Friday and a full moon, and Hogan, Newkirk and Carter had to keep Eagle from hurting anybody else as Klink had received a particular bit of nasty news from Burkhalter that afternoon that had sent him into hysterics concerning the loss of several Underground agents to the Gestapo. It didn't help that one of the agents matched Marie's description to a "T." Fortunately, Marie had been safe in Paris that day with her two children, performing another mission, and while she was saddened to hear about the loss of her fellow agents, Hogan was relieved that no harm had befallen her. Luckily, Klink had been able to stop Eagle before he could hurt anybody in Stalag 13 either._

_Meanwhile, things between them would never be the same. For the sake of appearances, Hogan still had to pretend that Klink was nothing more than his Kommandant, while Klink had to pretend that Hogan was nothing more than his Senior POW officer. Still, they grew to love the times that they could be alone, without anybody else spying in on them. Whether it was a private night playing chess, or sharing a dinner with wine, the friendship between the two men, and spies, inevitably grew. Sometimes Klink would invite all of Hogan's men over for dinner, and once or twice Marie joined them too, bringing Wilhelmina along. Hogan often joked that she would be the first undercover infant, due to how quiet she was. None of the guards, not even Schultz, was ever aware of the fact that there was a baby in camp sometimes. Every time that all six men dined together, LeBeau would often prepare his finest meals for their team. Sometimes he was surprised at how everything had changed. He remembered how much he disliked cooking for the Krauts at first, but saw how necessary it was. Over a period of time, however, he grew to accept Klink as a valuable member of their team, though none of Hogan's men shared the same friendship with Klink that their colonel did. Still, LeBeau was often happy at serving up dinner for his Kommandant. He only wished that they didn't have to dine at odd hours, usually after lights-out when they didn't have missions to perform since they would never be able to explain their presence as a group in Klink's dining quarters._

_Eventually, Hogan showed Wilhelmina off to the men that he could trust the most—Baker, Olsen, and Wilson. He didn't wish to make any of the other men in his barracks jealous, since he knew that many of them had families and missed them dearly. Thus, he made them promise never to tell any of the others that he had a daughter, or that he had a son six months later. Unfortunately, due to the odd timing, Hogan was never able to tell them that he was their biological son, but that Tiger had adopted an orphan whose parents had been killed in a bombing raid. Naturally, Newkirk told the rest of Hogan's men what werewolf pregnancies were like, so only they, in addition to Klink, ever knew the real truth._

_Soon, the war ended, as was inevitably bound to happen. The day of the liberation was a joyous day for all of Hogan's men, who had been carefully listening into news from London on the advancement of the Allied troops. Even though Newkirk, LeBeau, and Hogan and Carter went their separate ways, they had managed to stay in touch, both through their letters and through the vampires' telepathy. Kinch had long ago been sent back to England, as the first werewolf representative in Anne's organization, and he served in his usual position as radio operator. By this time, Newkirk and Carter had told Kinch and LeBeau all about her, with her permission, making good on their "no more secrets" routine. While he was saddened to leave his friends, Kinch performed his duties as well as ever, and Anne often let them know, telepathically of course, how valued he was as a member of her team. Unfortunately, Hogan had to help Klink come up with an elaborate ruse concerning his funeral—death by heart attack—so that Klink's "no escaped prisoners" wouldn't be broken, due to Burkhalter's and the Gestapo's employment of him as Kommandant. Otherwise, Klink knew that there would surely have been snowflakes in his future. Hogan made sure to keep in touch with his men because he realized that beyond the fact that all of his men were spies, they also shared their supernatural secrets, and that they had seen and done things that no regular human could ever understand._

_Hogan also made sure that during the Nuremburg trials, that Klink, Schultz, and some of the better German guards were given light sentences—only three months in jail. Hogan didn't wish to see either of them have to spend time in prison, but he knew that the only way this could be avoided was if he spilled the fact that Klink had really been a double agent all along. That, of course, was an impossible notion. In fact, London had burnt most of the paperwork concerning Papa Bear and his organization, and gave the rest of the files to Hogan for safekeeping upon his arrival in the city._

_Three months later, Hogan flew back to Germany to see the release of Klink and Schultz. Fortunately, prison hadn't caused them to suffer anything that a week of bed rest couldn't cure, for which everybody was grateful. A short time later, Hogan and Marie began putting their plans together for their wedding, with all of Hogan's men, in addition to Olson, Baker, Wilson, and Klink being invited. The wedding was the most magnificent one that any of the men could have imagined, with another gown by Yvette, in addition to LeBeau's fine gourmet cooking. Kinch served as best man, and Wilhelmina, who was three years old by now, doing her best to act as ring bearer. The rest of the men served as regular guests. The wedding was rather small and intimate, with Hogan's parents attending, and Marie's own, scattered family. By this time, Hogan felt that he could trust his other three men enough to inform them that Klink had actually been a spy working on their side, so that they wouldn't question his presence at the wedding. Klink then gave Hogan permission to tell his other three men that he had actually been Nimrod. Naturally, they were all as surprised as Hogan had initially been at learning of this truth._

"_And with this ring, I thee wed," Hogan finally said the words that he never could during the war. With a passionate kiss, their marriage was made official, and their family was complete. The next evening, Hogan and Marie celebrated as only they knew how—by asking the rest of his men, plus Klink, to join them on a midnight run across the Paris countryside. Newkirk could only smile looking down at his friends, both wedded and single, vampire and shape shifter, as he was finally free to fly as gleefully as he could before the war. All of them agreed that it was the best run of their lives._

HHH

Ten Years Later, After the Wedding:

Elvis Presley's _Teddy Bear_ filled the entire living room and almost invaded the kitchen. Marie could hear her daughter jumping over the couch, bounding about like the half-wolf that she was.

"Wilhelmina, turn down that thing! The neighbors are going to complain!" That was Hogan fighting with his keys to get in the house. His dog ended his run with him and ran to the couch to cuddle up with the girl.

"Hi, Porthos!" She kissed the puppy on the nose. "Daddy is home!" Wilhelmina announced his coming without getting off the couch. Since she was often getting in trouble for jumping on the furniture, she superhumanly quickly picked up a book and pretended that she had been reading it all along. She would not allow anything in the world to interrupt her reading. Hogan sighed as he entered the room. _I know she hasn't been reading_ he thought to himself. _Still, she reminds me so much of us, how we used to do the very same thing whenever Schultz or Klink, or another Kraut would barge into the barracks unannounced. She's my daughter alright._

He walked to the turntable and turned down the volume. He still remembered her sitting on the floor listening to fairy tales that were coming from the radio... She was still too young for that Elvis, whoever he was. "This little dial works on both directions, you know? Too much volume bothers some people." Suddenly, another thought occurred to him, one that he had sometimes thought about during and after the war. _And to think, it was just a simple, yet coded radio message from a mysterious Wings sent to Carter that started this entire thing_ he thought to himself while silently chuckling.

"What people? We live in the middle of nowhere." She did not take her eyes from her book. "The nearest neighbors live in Paris. It's such a drag."

"I call it peace and quiet." He smiled, though he would never let his daughter see the sadness in his eyes. Sometimes he found himself dreaming at night how his life was supposed to turn out—with him back in the skies as a regular pilot, or finally being promoted to General. Still, he knew that they lived on a small farm for a very important reason. He knew that his family's secrets had to be protected. He knew that as a werewolf, Marie would often get these strong, sudden urges to run in the countryside, using all of her senses to explore both the ground below and the sky above as only she could. At the same time, Robert would often get the same urges, especially when he could feel his legs starting to cramp up. Since they possessed extraordinarily strength, Newkirk had warned him long ago about the dangers of muscle atrophy, and how important it was to use them to their fullest capacity every once in a while. Still, he had long ago let go of any anger towards Faust, his sire. A triumphant smile broke across his face as he realized that God had been good to him after all—he still had his family, and he would be back in the skies soon enough. _Nothing has really changed in my life_ he thought to himself. _Besides, I'm sure that the parties the brass throws are full of nothing but idle chatter and too much alcohol anyway._ _And who needs alcohol anyway? I never drink…wine._ "What are you reading?" he asked her after a couple of seconds of rapid self-contemplation.

"Miracles on Maple Hill," [1]she said, showing him the cover.

Hogan noticed the author and asked, "Virginia Sorensen. Is it a children's book?"

"Daddy, I'm twelve," she grimaced.

Hogan smiled. "I know. Happy birthday, honey," he said, coming closer to kiss her on her forehead. "Getting ready for the party?"

"Who's coming?" she asked, trying to keep her energy level down.

"You know the guys, Louie, Andrew, James..."

"And Newkirk?" Her eyes glowed and her cheeks got pink.

Hogan sighed. "Yes, I called him this morning." He shook his head and went to the kitchen. "I asked Wilhelm if he could come, but unfortunately he's busy."

_Still performing as Nimrod, working against the Soviet Union_ he thought to himself. He could see that his daughter wasn't too disappointed, even though she also considered him one of "the guys." Hogan had made sure to tell his daughter long ago how busy he was in his job as a bookkeeper. He knew that was only a partial lie, since that was often his cover on assignments. Sometimes, Nimrod would ask Hogan and his men to help out, which they did. Carter, being single, was usually the man that Klink called upon the most. He was well aware of the fact that like Hogan, most of the others had found either wives or girlfriends, and that LeBeau had started a family with the same girlfriend, Cecille, that he had before the war. As luck would have it, LeBeau knew that his seven-year-old son, Henri, was also going to be a werewolf, but like her mother, his five-year-old daughter, Adelise, would be human. Hogan was relieved that his girlfriend had always understood of his condition, which his corporal had informed her of before the war.

Likewise, Newkirk had finally gone on that date that Anne had asked him about, and everybody was glad that they seemed to be going steady. They had long ago against decided on adopting any children, though as luck would have it, an orphan vampire female teenager had almost literally fallen into their laps one day, trying to escape a human mob that was after her. Like Newkirk had once experienced with Mavis, she had been recently changed and had accidentally killed a man due to her uncontrollable bloodlust. Earlier, her parents had been killed by the Gestapo because it was suspected that they were Underground agents. As a final injustice, the same agent had taken perverse pleasure in feeding on her until she had been changed. This time, however, the mob had been easy to lose after a couple of days, and Newkirk was quickly able to settle back into his old house that he shared with his sister. However, since he now had Lucy to take care of, he, Anne, and their new daughter quickly moved into another house nearby. By this time, he had become used to helping vampires control their bloodlust, and Lucy never killed another human again. At the present time, he and Anne had been married for six years.

Kinch, meanwhile, had his own family to take care of. After the war, Kinch had received Anne's permission to return to America, which he did so happily. One day, while walking to his job as a radio DJ, his eyes fell upon the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. It was love at first sight for both him and Ella, and that very evening they shared drinks at one of Kinch's favorite local bars. As they got to know each other better, each one was able to pick up an unmistakable scent about the other. As it turned out, they were both werewolves. Even though the attraction had been quick, they made sure to take things slow and easy, and to find out more about each other before committing to a relationship. Fortunately, they found that they shared many things in common, such as the fact that she had been a spy working in America during the war. At the present time, they have been going steady for two years.

Shaking his head to clear himself of another contemplation, Hogan found that the welcome committee was warmer in that part of the house. He kissed Marie on the neck and smelled her perfume. "Missed me?"

"You went out for twenty minutes." She grinned while pouring some milk over the flour. "Did you have a nice walk?"

"I suppose," Hogan sat at the table to see her baking a cake. Marie was not the best cook, but her cakes could compete with LeBeau's.

"Well, I see that my family is mostly present and accounted for. But where's my son at this hour?"

"Robert's reading about the RAF in his encyclopedia. He heard some of his friends talking about the Bristol Blenheim [2] and wanted to corroborate data, his words not mine," she laughed. "I should have known I'd have a pilot in my future."

"Two," Hogan grinned. "Give me a pair of wings, and I'll be up there in no time."

"Not for now, please. In this farm, I need an extra pair of hands more than a pair of wings, merci beaucoup." She took the finished cake out of the oven and left it on the table to cool. However, she had to turn away to keep her husband from seeing how misty her eyes had become.

Hogan realized his mistake almost immediately. "I'm sorry Marie—I know how sensitive the subject of our future is together. After all…"

"After all, you still look the same as the day when you first told me that you were a vampire, and I've aged twelve years," she said, bringing her hand up to wipe away her tears.

"You know, all you have to do is say the word, and we could have a future together for always," Hogan said, tentatively bringing up the subject of his immortal life versus her mortal one.

"One of these days, mon amour. One of these days I will let you do the act. But please, not now. Not today. Today is a day for the celebration of life—a regular, although supernatural, life."

"Then you need to promise me one thing, alright?" Hogan asked, holding her head in his while kissing her on the forehead.

"Yes, Robert?"

"No more tears for today." To that, Marie could only kiss him back.

Trying to change the subject, Marie abruptly asked, "Did you talk to LeBeau?"

"Yes, Andrew and Kinch arrived last night. They're driving together."

"And Newkirk?"

"You too?" He grinned. "Wilhelmina asked me for him and she got this funny look in her eyes."

"Oh, she has a crush on him, you know how it is."

"No, and I don't want to know. He's over two hundred years old and she's-"

"Twelve," she said. "Whether it's Newkirk or Elvis, she's growing up."

"Oh, well, at least she has claws to defend herself." He stared at her. "You've been talking to her about that, right?"

"Of course, _no reaping heads off before the second date._"

"Very funny."

Marie came to hug him. "Relax, honey. She's ready."

"I know... It could be worse..." he sighed. "It could've been two girls... two werewolves... two girl werewolves... Wow!"

"Wouldn't that have been something?" she asked. "But I think it's important that at least _somebody_ in this family is normal," she said teasingly.

Ignoring his wife's remark, Hogan was still worried about the event that would take place that night. He knew how much he had tried to tell both his daughter and his son about the event that would take place that night. Still, sometimes they seemed to look at him as though he was crazy, trying to tell them that vampires and werewolves existed. At other times, he couldn't help but overhear them talking together late at night, trying to make sense of why their mother seemed to age but their father didn't.

"But not only is tonight a full moon, it's a Friday as well. What if she can't control her condition? What if she gives into the werewolf within?" he asked, still pacing around the kitchen.

"Well, that never happened to us during our first shifting, so I wouldn't be too concerned about it… sir."

Both Hogan and Marie turned their heads at the same time to see Carter and Kinch standing in their kitchen. Long ago, Hogan had made sure to give each of his men keys to their barn's door, while making sure that they were welcome any time of the day, or night.

"Andrew, James, it's good to see both of you," Hogan and Marie exclaimed at the same time. A quick kiss from Marie and handshakes from Hogan were exchanged between the men.

Seconds later, the last man invited to the party came walking in, with Wilhelmina trailing after him like a lost puppy dog. "It's good to see you too, Willie, but for now ole Newkirk 'as to speak with your father," he said, trying to let her down easy. It didn't take a telepath to see how much of a crush Hogan's daughter had on one of his men.

More pleasantries were quickly exchanged, and all six of them sat down at the table. Soon, they were exchanging war and spy stories as though they had happened only yesterday, with each of Hogan's men taking turns filling him and Marie in on how much their families had changed since their last visit.

Suddenly, they were interrupted by another voice, who seemed to be rather excited. "I knew it! I knew that John didn't know what he was bloody well talking about!" Robert exclaimed, who was about to quickly rush over to show his father some exciting and interesting information that he had found in his book. However, he stopped himself in his tracks upon seeing all of his father's friends gathered around the table. "Sorry, Dad, didn't mean to interrupt."

"You're not interrupting," Hogan reassured his son. "Why don't you come and show us what information you found?"

"Well, for starters, the Bristol Blenheim…"

However, he was interrupted by Newkirk, whose ears immediately perked up upon hearing the aircraft's name. Before either Hogan or his son knew what was happening, Robert was becoming engaged in a long conversation with his family friend over the specifics of the aircraft.

_Let them talk_ Hogan thought to his men. _Kinch, LeBeau, I need to have a few words with you concerning my daughter._ With that, Hogan called his men into his study, and they soon saw how nervous he was concerning his daughter's transformation that night. It was a look that they had seen several times before, when he was up against a particularly thought-provoking mission.

"Sir, relax, everything is going to go fine," Kinch tried to reassure him, and Hogan stopped his pacing long enough to look his man in the eye.

"I know I shouldn't be worried, but I've been thinking about this night for weeks now. You know how important tonight is, right?"

"Oui, but stressing out about it isn't going to do you any good," LeBeau said. "Besides, isn't that why you invited us? To make sure that your daughter would be able to control herself?"

"Yes, under the disguise of a birthday party. My children don't know the _real_ reason why you're here, though Marie is well aware of it." Taking a deep breath, Hogan tried to regain his composure. Gathering his strength, he walked back into the kitchen and tried to enjoy that day's festivities. There was the cake, of course, which came after LeBeau's children-friendly version of his cooking. Each man had also brought along a gift for the birthday girl: a Perry Como record from Kinch, a children's chemistry set from Carter, a grown-up set of pots and pans from LeBeau, and a children's magician set from Newkirk.

Dusk fell quickly that night, and Hogan knew that the bewitching hour was close at hand. Taking both of his children aside, Hogan tried let again to tell them about vampires and werewolves. But this time, he let the other shoe fall where it may. Holding his daughter's hand in his, Hogan tried to say, matter-of-factly, "Willie, I'm sure you must have known, or at least felt this about yourself all along. You're…different from other girls your age."

"I know," she said simply.

"No, I mean _really_ different," Hogan tried to explain.

Looking her father straight in the eyes, Hogan was slightly taken aback as he noticed that her eyes had become yellow. "_I know"_ she repeated. "I must admit, daddy, that I was surprised at first. It didn't seem to make any sense to me how werewolves and vampires could exist. But one night…" She let her voice drop.

"Yes?" Hogan asked. "Go on."

"Well, one night I was coming downstairs for a cup of water. I don't think Mom saw me, but I saw her take off her clothes and shift in front of my eyes, and then she took off running."

"And another night," Robert said, trying to gather his courage, "I, too, came down for a cup of water. I saw you drinking something, but it didn't look like water. You turned to the window for just a couple of minutes—maybe you were making sure that Mom was alright? Anyway, it was just long enough for me to slip downstairs and quietly make my way to your cup. I drank some of it, and…well…it was blood!"

At first, Hogan didn't know what to make of his children's revelation that they had known what their parents were. At the same time, he couldn't be more relieved. "How long have you two known?" he asked simply.

"For a couple of years," they said at the same time.

"Dad, if Willie is a werewolf, does that make me a vampire?" Robert asked.

Hogan couldn't help but smile at his son's question. "No, Rob, you're a regular human. Unless…?"

"No thanks Dad, I enjoy being me—but at the same time I couldn't ask for a better father" Robert quickly answered. Hogan could only nod his head at his son's honesty.

Suddenly, Wilhelmina started feeling a warm sensation in her body, and it started feeling extremely warm and tingling. She also noticed an intense abdominal pain, which caused her to clutch her stomach and bend forward, moaning.

At first, Hogan was terrified at seeing his daughter in such agony. However, he soon recognized what was happening to her. With Kinch and LeBeau watching, Hogan quickly carried her upstairs to her bedroom, as she started convulsing in his arms. _If I need you, I'll call for you_ he thought to his friends. Marie, who had been in the kitchen talking with Carter and Newkirk, immediately knew that something was amiss when she heard her daughter moaning. Still, Hogan called out to his wife, "Marie! It's time, so you better come upstairs!"

Upstairs, Marie helped her daughter to undress, and she saw how terrified Willie was as the convulsions had started to turn into seizures. "Mommy, what's happening to me?" she managed to get out between sobs.

"Honey, relax, this is completely normal. Do you know how to do it, or do you need me to help?" she asked, trying to stay calm for both her daughter and her husband. "The convulsions and the pain will stop as soon as you shift."

"Mommy, I can't do it! I'm scared!"

"Ssh, I'm right here, and I know you know how to do it. I haven't met a natural werewolf yet who wasn't born with the basic instinct of knowing how to shift. But we'll do it together," she said, as Marie quickly began taking off her own clothes.

Marie made sure to take the lead, and her screams quickly matched her daughter's moans as the pain of the transformation began to overtake her body. Looking over, Tiger was glad that her daughter seemed to be struggling with the initial transformation, but that the rest of it was becoming easy for her, as she let her basic instincts take over.

After a couple of minutes, any sign of the human Wilhelmina had vanished, and a beautiful, young gray wolf had taken her place. The wolf looked around at her new body, and she concentrated on letting her tail shake. Looking down, she lifted her paws and sniffed them, at first distastefully, but then happily. Suddenly, before Hogan knew what was happening, mother and daughter were quickly chasing each other around the bed, and then down the stairs.

However, Hogan's daughter stopped as soon as she saw her family friends, and she quickly hid behind her mother. Coming down the stairs after them, Hogan tried to reassure her that everything was fine, and that she had nothing to hide from or be ashamed of.

"Oui, your father is correct," LeBeau said. To prove his point, he and Kinch quickly disrobed and shifted into Loup and Golden in front of her.

Meanwhile, Carter allowed his eyes to become green, and his fangs to emerge. Next, all of Hogan's men looked over at Newkirk. "Oh, alright," he said in resignation. Taking off his shirt, Newkirk allowed his skin to become white again, with both his wings and his veins completely visible.

All the while, they had almost forgotten about another member of the household. Their entire attention had been focused on Wilhelmina that they didn't seem to notice that Robert had emerged from the kitchen in time to see his family friends change into their other appearances. However, all eyes quickly fell on Robert when he could only exclaim, "Wow! I knew that vampires and werewolves existed, but I didn't know that _all_ of you were one or the other!"

"Yes son, they are. I want you to meet Golden and Loup, and Carter and Newkirk are still themselves."

Tentatively approaching Hogan's oldest man, Robert couldn't help but stare in wonder at the sight that lay before him. "Can I…touch them?" he asked, his voice full of curiosity.

"Sure, why not?" Newkirk replied, getting down on his knees so that Hogan's son could feel his wings. "Do you like them?"

"They're beautiful!" Robert exclaimed. "I assume they're functional?"

"As functional as any Bristol Blenheim known to man," Newkirk proudly replied. "Would you care to be co-pilot for tonight?" he slyly asked, and as soon as Robert nodded his head, he picked him up and allowed his wings to carry him a couple of feet off the ground.

By now, Wilhelmina had emerged from behind her mother. Marie could sense that she was ready for her first run, and looking at her husband, she knew that Hogan could sense the same thing.

"But we need a name first. For now, how about Petit? It means cub, or baby tiger, in French."

Petit wagged her tail vigorously, and Hogan knew that his daughter approved of the name. As they left to go on their run, Hogan felt completely happy for his family. As he and his men enjoyed the countryside, Hogan would look up every couple of minutes, smiling as he saw his man safely holding onto his son, while still managing to fly with ease.

"Welcome to our world," Hogan said to his daughter, while Newkirk said to Robert simultaneously. "We think you're going to enjoy it."

[1] Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorenson 1957, ( _After her father returns from the war moody and tired, Marly's family decides to move from the city to Maple Hill Farm in the Pennsylvania countryside where they share many adventures which help restore their spirits and their bond with each other. )Source Google Books_

[2] Bristol Blenheim _British light bomber aircraft, Source Wikipedia_


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